The War of the Worlds: Darkness Rising
by Doctor Wolfie
Summary: In wartorn England, Elphaba and Fiyero have made names for themselves. But while they’re shaky and Voldermort unleashes a new weapon, who in their right mind would decide to bring Glinda over for a surprise? Dumbledore would. Gelphie. HP crossover.
1. A Window to the Past

**Firstly, I apologize for not updating the other story. I've had almost no inspiration to write. Next, this story is a result of my Harry Potter and Wicked obsessed mind…so this will be a HP/Wicked crossover. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

**Now, on with the story:**

Glinda the Good took a deep breath and looked up at the looming castle that was in front of her. Well, here she was. Hogwarts. It was rather interesting, how this turn of events had come about. A few weeks ago, she had been contacted by an eccentric old man calling himself Albus Dumbledore. Apparently, in the world Hogwarts was in, called "England", there was a man called "Voldymore", or "Voldemort", or _something _wrecking havoc.

Having exhausted all his options and barely resisting Voldemort with the "Order of the Phoenix", Dumbledore had been forced to seek help from other worlds, namely those with magic, and Oz had been one of the first places he had looked. When Dumbledore explained what he was looking for and what Voldemort was capable of, Glinda had been horrified at first.

She initially had refused to help, wanting to stay out of a war as large as the one that England was currently in. Dumbledore, not forcing her in any way, left, adding that he would give her time to think and that he would be back in two weeks for her final decision. Glinda had spent a large amount of time reflecting and wondering which was the right path to take.

Flashback

_Glinda closed the door of the attic tightly behind her and made sure it was locked before pulling out a piece of the floorboard in the middle of the attic. Under this board was a black hat, an old broom, and a green bottle: the only things that Glinda had to remember Elphaba Thropp, resident (although dead) Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda's best friend. Whenever Glinda felt that she needed guidance, she often came up to this room and held the hat and the broom._

_"Oh, Elphie. What should I do?" she whispered, although she knew she would never hear her friend's sarcastic answer again. "Do I go and help Dumbledore or do I stay here, sheltered and safe while all those people in "England" are dying?" Glinda knew what Elphaba would do in a heartbeat. Elphaba had always stood up for the weaker and oppressed (namely the Animals), and if Glinda had understood Dumbledore correctly, Voldemort was terrorizing "Muggles", who couldn't fight back._

_After Elphaba's death, Glinda had worked persistently to rid Oz of the Animal Bans that were floating around. She strived for the equality for all citizens and worked for change in unfair laws and decrees._

_Glinda looked again at the hat. It was funny really, that the hat had become such a large part of Elphaba. It had originally been intended as a cruel joke, but instead, it had been one of the things that had bonded the two witches together. After a long silence, during which Glinda reminisced, she stood, replaced the items under the floorboard, and spoke, "I'll go and help Dumbledore. I'll do you proud Elphie; I won't let you down again."_

End flashback

* * *

"Avada Kedavra!" Elphaba Thropp dove to the side as a blast of green light zoomed right over her head. Rolling over and landing on her feet again, she shot a curse in retaliation at the Death Eater who had attempted to kill her only moments ago. Realizing that Voldemort's forces were too strong in numbers for the minuscule amount of Aurors and Order members that were still standing, she attempted to shout to fellow Order member, 2nd in Command, and the Boy (or Man) who Lived, Harry James Potter.

"Harry! We have to retreat!" she gasped, barely avoiding a stunner sent her way by Malfoy Jr. "There's too many of them!" In the past, when she had lived in Oz, she would never have imagined that she would accept defeat. However, living in war-torn England for five years had changed that.

Looking around, Harry realized that she was right; there _were_ too many Death Eaters for them to defeat. "Order members, retreat!" he called commandingly. Accordingly, the few Order members grasped the necklace the doubled as an emergency portkey and said the keyword: "Sanctuary".

With a small "pop", they landed in the Shrieking Shack, the emergency meeting place for the Order members. After all, Death Eaters would never think of looking in "the most haunted building in Britain". After they got their breath back, Harry looked over at the assembled members. "Are you all right?" The members nodded their assent before slowly making their way down the tunnel back out to the sunny Hogwarts' grounds.

Harry followed them, before looking back at Elphaba, who hadn't moved. "Fae, are you coming?" Elphaba shook her head, motioning that Harry should go on without her. "Fae, what's up? Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"It's nothing, Harry. It's just-well, this war feels hopeless. We need something- someone to end this and end it soon. If only I had the- nevermind," she mumbled. She was about to say 'The Grimmerie', but realized that this would mean looking back to her past, something she had sworn never to do again.

"The what?" Harry said, his curiosity spiked. When Elphaba made no move to answer him, he continued, "Well, Fae, we may have some hope yet. Dumbledore said that he had been in contact with certain people that may be able to help us, and last night, he told me that one of these people would arrive today."

"Certain people?" Elphaba asked, surprised. "Who? Did he say?"

"He didn't tell me, exactly," Harry admitted. "He just said that she would arrive today. That reminds me, I should meet with Dumbledore and brief him about today's battle. Do you want to come?" Taking her silence as a 'no', he nodded and left Elphaba alone with her thoughts.

It was August 27- exactly five years after her "death". Elphaba briefly wondered where Glinda was and how she was doing. Although she had Fiyero with her, she still missed Oz, as it was where she had lived for most of her life. After her supposed "death", Elphaba had waited until Fiyero had come and given her the all-clear signal that they had planned on earlier. Together, they had secretly made their way to the Clock of the Time Dragon and, taking a deep breath, stepped through the portal that would take them away from Oz forever.

Elphaba had not known what happened next, as the moment she and Fiyero stepped away from the portal, she had been overcome with dizziness and blacked out, with Fiyero collapsing right next to her.

Flashback

_When Elphaba awoke, she found herself in a hospital room. A hospital room? She sat up and looked over to the bed next to her, where Fiyero was lying._

_She tried to get up out of the bed and find out where she was, but before she had taken even two steps, a woman in a nurses uniform came bustling out of her office. "Get back into that bed, miss," he said authoritatively. "You were just unconscious for a week with a high fever- you will not aggravate your body again. Now, back into bed. I shall inform Albus you are awake."_

_"Wait just one minute here," Elphaba began._

_Before she could finish her sentence, the nurse woman gave her a fierce glare and snapped, "Bed. Now. Honestly, you're as bad as Severus." She then turned and went back into her office._

_Only several minutes passed before the nurse came back with a man with a long white beard and a brightly colored…dress following her. "Good morning- or should I say, good afternoon," he greeted the green woman. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I must say, you and your friend," he motioned to Fiyero, "gave Mr. Jameson and Mr. Davis quite a shock. After all, you don't find many green-skinned women or scarecrows lying at the edge of the Forbidden Forest on a daily basis. No offence meant," he added as Elphaba glared at the mention of her skin._

_"Now, may I inquire as to what your name is?" Dumbledore asked. "And may I see your left arm as well?"_

_"My left arm?" Elphaba asked, now quite perplexed. When she had left Oz with Fiyero, she wasn't exactly expecting this kind of welcoming committee. "Why?" she said, her eyes narrowed suspiciously._

_"A safety precaution," Dumbledore answered. "As far as I know, you don't seem to be from our world- you would have heard of Death Eaters and the Dark Mark if you were. Also, I would have heard of you because of your sk- well, never mind," he finished lamely._

_Elphaba shrugged. "Well, okay, I suppose." She hadn't sensed any bad intentions from these people, and usually her intuition was correct. She gave her left arm to Dumbledore, who raised the sleeve of her black dress. He then proceeded to pull a…stick…out of the pocket of his dress._

_"Revelio," he murmured. Other than a slight tingling on her arm, Elphaba could feel nothing different. So, these people knew magic. Still, there was the question of what the stick was for…a wand, perhaps? And why in the world was this man in a dress?_

_Before she could address these questions to the eccentric old man, Elphaba heard a moan. She looked over hurriedly at Fiyero, who seemed to be just awakening. "Fiyero!" she said, making her way off the bed (to the annoyance of the nurse) and to Fiyero. "How are you feeling?"_

_"Fae," Fiyero groaned. "What happened? Where are we? All I remember is the portal and then…black."_

_"I-I'm not sure, Fiyero. I just woke up five minutes ago as well," Elphaba explained as best she could._

_"Well, Fae, Fiyero," Dumbledore said, "Let me help you out. You are at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, near London, England."_

_London? England? All these places flew right over Elphaba's and Fiyero's heads. "You mean like Shiz?" Elphaba asked._

_"Shiz? Is that where you're from?" Dumbledore asked. "I have never heard of 'Shiz' before."_

_"No, that's the school I attended where I learned magic…" Elphaba trailed off. It was obvious that this was not helping. "Look, sir, we're from the land of Oz. Have you heard of it before?"_

_"Is it possible, then?" Dumbledore said excitedly once he heard the word 'Oz'. "Traveling between worlds, I mean."_

_"I take it you have heard of Oz, then," Fiyero said politely._

_"I have heard it briefly mentioned, yes," Dumbledore nodded. "But, then, why are you two here?" Fiyero and Elphaba looked at each other._

_"You might want to sit down," Elphaba motioned to an empty bed. "This story may take a little while."_

_A few hours later found Dumbledore, Elphaba, and Fiyero walking down an empty corridor of Hogwarts. "So…to reiterate, Fae, you were the so-called 'Wicked Witch of the West'. You and Fiyero, whom you turned into a scarecrow in an attempt to save his life, were able to escape from people who wanted you dead. You then stepped through a portal in a…Dragon Clock-"_

_"The Clock of the Time Dragon," Elphaba corrected him._

_"Right. You stepped through this portal and ended up here," Dumbledore finished._

_"Yes, sir," Fiyero answered._

_"Well, then, I suppose you'll have to stay here. Tell me, Fae, Fiyero, what do you know about dueling?"_

End Flashback

One thing led to another, and somehow, Elphaba became the Dueling Professor at Hogwarts and Fiyero ended up helping Dumbledore on 'missions'- something which Elphaba knew almost nothing about. Apparently, with the threat of Voldemort looming on the horizon, the professors at Hogwarts had decided to add a new Dueling elective to the curriculum, they had had trouble finding a proficient professor.

Of course, the professors had been shocked to find that the spells that Elphaba knew were completely different from the standard offensive and defensive spells that the wizarding world knew. They had been even more shocked to find that she didn't need a wand to channel her magic.

Under the tutelage of a few professors, Elphaba slowly studied the courses that a normal wizard or witch would study at Hogwarts. The funny thing, though, was that although she could do the spells from The Grimmerie without a wand, she was unable to do any spells that were normal in the wizarding world the same way; Therefore, she acquired a wand and switched the normal wizarding spells instead of the ones from Oz.

With some help from Professor McGonagall, they had managed to change Fiyero from a scarecrow back to a human. According to McGonagall it was "one of the best pieces of human transfiguration she had seen in years."

After two years of teaching the dueling course, Elphaba had been with some students at Hogsmead when a group of 20 Death Eaters attacked. Immediately, she sprang to the defense of the students, which led to her induction into the Order of the Phoenix.

She never had bothered to correct Dumbledore on the business of her name, since she figured that she wanted a new start. The only person that actually still called her Elphaba was Fiyero; everyone else called her Fae or "Professor Thropp", even though the professors and Order members learned her real name at her initiation into the Order.

Despite the fact that she was pretty happy and had decided never to look back again, some days, she found herself thinking about Glinda. She hoped that Glinda was happy and that there wasn't any trouble in Oz.

Shaking her head to clear herself of these thoughts, Elphaba headed up the tunnel as well, hoping to find some solace in her rooms.

**This will be one of the longest chapters since I had to do all the background info. There will be more background info in the next chapter…I will probably put a lot more of the actual plot into it, though.**

**I am leaning heavily towards making this Elphaba/Glinda slash, but I'm not sure yet. What do you think? Should I have it Elphaba/Fiyero, Elphaba/Glinda, or neither?**

**-Wolfie**


	2. The Past is Another Land

**Thank you for all the reviews. I honestly wasn't expecting so many. Thank you so much! **

**I forgot to put this up in the first chapter, but if you haven't noticed, this story follows Order of the Phoenix, but not Half-Blood Prince. Sorry, but I need Snape to be good and Dumbledore to be alive for this to work. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

**On with Chapter II:**

Harry briskly made his way across the Hogwarts grounds, into the castle that had been his home for seven years, and up several levels to Dumbledore's office. He hoped that Elphaba (or Fae, as he, and most other people, called her) would be alright; every year, on August 27she would seem to withdraw into herself without warning. Although he never did and never would pry into Fae's life before she had come to Hogwarts (she definitely did not seem inclined to talk about it), he often wondered what had happened on August 27 to make her this way.

It was funny that he looked up to Fae (she being about ten years older than himself), yet, that she bore such an uncanny resemblance to the Potion Master's personality, whom Harry disliked greatly. Elphaba Thropp and Severus Snape. Both were moody, sarcastic, and always spoke the honest truth, no matter how painful it was. In fact, surprisingly, Elphaba and Snape had a friendship of sorts.

Once, Harry had asked Fae if she had any feelings of the romantic kind for Snape. Fae had said that she didn't, turned away, and changed the subject abruptly. Harry suspected that she harbored feelings for someone else; however, whoever it was, she would not say. Harry then believed that she loved the scarecrow/man she had arrived with, Fiyero, but her subsequent actions neither confirmed nor denied his beliefs.

He looked up to realize that he had arrived at the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. "Chocolate Frogs," he said clearly. It moved aside to let him pass, and he stepped onto the moving staircase that would take him up to Dumbledore's office. He noticed, as soon as he came within view of the door, that Dumbledore seemed to have a visitor already. The door was slightly open and Harry could hear voices from within.

"-is quite a brutal war. Voldemort shows no mercy to anyone: his enemies nor his followers," Dumbledore was saying. "I think that you should keep a low profile for at least the first few weeks- we don't want Voldemort going after you before we even have a plan."

"Alright, that will be fine, Albus," a feminine voice said from within the office. "How do you want me to help in this war, though?"

"I remember that you mentioned about a spell book in your possession, um, The Grimmerie, I think?" Dumbledore hinted. "Perhaps that will hold the method with which we can defeat Voldemort."

Harry silently smirked. _Figures_, he thought. _A spell book with a name bearing an uncanny resemblance to the Grim, the sign of an impending death._

"Yes, I brought it," the other woman replied. "But I can't read it very well- I've only been learning these past five years. The only person that could read all the spells was…a friend of mine."

"A friend?" Dumbledore echoed. "Do you think we could ask him for help?"

"Her," the woman corrected. "And, no, that would be impossible. She-" the woman broke off suddenly. Regaining her composure, she continued, "She died five years ago."

Harry decided that this would be the perfect time to interrupt this meeting. It sounded like one of Dumbledore's 'contacts' had arrived, and Harry was anxious to meet her. He knocked on the wooden door and waited.

"Come in," Dumbledore said from within. His eyes lit up at the sight of Harry, but he soon became dismayed as he took in Harry's worn form and blood-soaked robes. "What happened?" he asked bluntly.

"There were more Death Eaters than we counted on," Harry replied wearily. "Not only that, but somehow, they seemed to be even stronger than before."

"Stronger than before? But how is that possible?" Dumbledore said, alarmed.

"I honestly have absolutely no idea. It is possible that Voldemort may have a new weapon that we don't know about. I haven't been receiving any visions lately, so I'm not sure about this theory," Harry told Dumbledore honestly. "Besides the newly acquired strength of the Death Eaters, Voldemort also decided to test his Dementors today."

All these terms- Death Eaters, Dementors, and the like- were completely foreign to Glinda. She figured that the best thing to do would be to just sit and get a feel for how large this war really was. She would ask Dumbledore who the people that ate death were and what a "Dementor" was later.

"I suppose we shouldn't have been too surprised by how large-scale this attack really was," Harry was saying. "Voldemort _had_ been lying low for a little too long."

"But you were able to dispel of these Dementors will little trouble?" Dumbledore pressed.

"Yes. The Dementors attacked right almost immediately the Death Eaters. I suppose Voldemort was trying to distract us. What ended up happening was that Fae and Remus cast the Patronus quickly while we fought the Death Eaters and watched their back as they were doing so," Harry answered.

After he finished his report on the battle, he took a look around the office and seemed to notice Glinda for the first time. "Um, Dumbledore," he asked hesitantly. "Has the person that was supposed to arrive today arrived?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he said, "Why, yes, actually. You're looking at her." Harry's eyes doubtfully swept over the figure of Glinda.

"I…see that," he said with heavy skepticism. After all, it's not every day that you see a supposed savior in a pink dress with a sparkly wand. "It's nice to meet you," Harry said. "Well, Dumbledore, I should go find Fae. I left her in the Shrieking Shack- it's _that day_, you know."

"Ah, yes. August 27th," Dumbledore said reflectively. "Well, you most definitely should make sure that she's alright, then." Harry understood that he was dismissed, and left the office, nodding politely to Dumbledore and Glinda.

"Who was that?" Glinda asked once Harry left. "He seemed rather…disappointed to see me."

"That was Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. When he was one years old, Voldemort attacked his house. Do you remember about that curse I told you about- the Killing Curse? Although Voldemort was able to murder his parents, Harry survived the curse with nothing but the scar on his forehead. Not only that, but he managed to reduce Voldemort to nothing but a spirit," Dumbledore gave a quick rundown on the reason behind Harry's fame.

"If Harry was able to defeat Voldemort as a child," Glinda began, "why can't he defeat him now?"

"After Voldemort was resurrected when Harry was 14, we believe he has gotten a lot stronger. However, we- that is, the wizarding world in general, believe that Harry is the one to defeat Voldemort, as there was a prophecy made about him," Dumbledore explained. The rest of the afternoon was spent in relative peace, with the two occupants of the office going over details of lodging, battles, and other things.

* * *

Elphaba had scarce been in her room for ten minutes when there came a knock on the portrait guarding it. "What is it?" she managed to grit out. She had hoped for a quiet rest of the day, but it looked like there was no chance of _that_ now.

"Fae, it's Snape. May I come in?" Elphaba rolled her eyes. Snape was one of the only people (Fiyero being the other) that did not mind her moodiness very much.

"Fine," she said briskly, before opening the portrait and stepping back and letting the Potions Master through. She knew that some people thought that they were having a relationship- however, that was completely…disgusting. Snape was at least ten years older than Elphaba (although large age differences was not a big taboo in the wizarding world, it had been in Oz), and besides, she liked him as a friend, **not** as a lover.

"What happened, Fae?" he asked once he stepped inside the room. "At the battle?"

Before Elphaba could say anything, there came another knock. Snarling under her breath (as fitting for her animagus form), Elphaba snapped, "Yes, who is it now?"

Sounding very taken aback, someone answered, "It's Harry. Is it all right if I come in?"

"Bloody Potter," Severus commented from the side. "How you put up with him is beyond me." Although both Snape and Harry were friends with Elphaba and had come to a mutual understanding per Dumbledore's request, they were still not friends- far from it, in fact. They had come to the understanding that they were "acquaintances with a strong dislike for the other, but forced to work together by a meddling old fool."

"Snape," Elphaba scowled, not wanting to deal with Harry and Snape fighting in her rooms. She already felt a full-blown headache coming on; perhaps she would ask Snape for a potion later. "Don't even think about it."

Elphaba was one of the only people that could snap at Snape and not be used as his next potion ingredient. Perhaps it was because of the fact that she was not at all cowed by his glare or his biting words and vice versa. If truth be told, it was best if the two didn't get in a fight. From previous experience, it was…not a good experience for the room they were in nor the people around them.

Harry came in, saw Snape, and narrowed his eyes. "Snape," he said in greeting.

"Potter," Snape replied, more out of duty than friendliness. Elphaba couldn't help but think that the two looked like two wolves getting ready to fight for dominance.

"Harry, Snape, SIT DOWN," she just about yelled. She had really just wanted to be alone for the evening, as it _was_ her "death day", and accordingly she was now a little more than annoyed. "Was there a purpose to come here _other _than to turn my rooms into a battleground?" she asked.

"I have business with Fae, Snape, so can you please leave?" Harry asked with faked politeness.

"I believe that as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, I am privy to any information that you wish to share," Snape said evenly.

Elphaba glared at both, stood up, and went into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Five minutes later, she opened the door again to see Harry and Snape glowering with the utmost loathing at each other, but at least not verbally sparing anymore. In truth, Harry and Snape's hatred for each other reminded Elphaba of her earlier days at Shiz- _alright, Elphaba,_ she berated herself, _stop harping on past._

"I'm glad you both have decided to not act like you are five-year-olds having a disagreement," she said sarcastically. "Perhaps we will actually get _something_ done today. What was it that you wished to tell me, Harry?"

"I've just come back from a meeting with Dumbledore," he told the green witch. "Apparently, one of Dumbledore's contacts have arrived."

"Really?" Elphaba asked, intrigued. "Who? What's his name?"

"Her," Harry told Elphaba. "And her name was…damn…I forgot to ask her what her name was."

Snape couldn't resist a chance to give a scathing remark to his most hated student. "Really, Potter, that's true talent there. Not even asking someone's name when you meet them."

"Snape, last warning," Elphaba said in a low voice. "Well, Harry what did she look like?"

"She was, well…blonde," Harry said the first thing that came to his mind.

"Blonde?" Elphaba asked, her mind immediately springing to a picture of Glinda. _That's impossible and you know it, Elphaba,_ she thought. _Glinda is in Oz. You are here. There are a lot of people who are blonde. Get a grip._

"Well, maybe I'll meet her later," Elphaba said dismissively."Now I would like to finish my lesson plans for this upcoming school year without your bickering behind me. So, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night." She shepherded both dark-haired men out of her rooms before collapsing on an armchair.

"_Don't wish, don't start…"_ An echo of her musings at Oz sprang up in the silent room. "_Wishing only wounds the heart…"

* * *

_

**I tried to talk more about background info in this chapter, but as part of the plot (for example, in Harry's POV about Elphaba's past at Hogwarts) instead of just giving straight information like last time…I'm not sure if it actually worked like I wanted it to, though…**

**Also, it looks like it will be Elphaba/Glinda slash. Sorry to those who voted otherwise. However, there's still another chapter before have to I decide for sure. **

**-Wolfie**


	3. Do You Love Me

**This chapter is dedicated to Mara1313, who is my co-author/beta and puts up with my crazy ideas.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 3: Do You Love Me_

"-and this will be your room for the duration of your stay with us," Dumbledore told Glinda as they walked down a passageway. They stopped in front of a portrait of a witch stirring a cauldron.

"Password, please." The witch looked up from her potion and demanded.

"Wickedness," Dumbledore said. The witch nodded and then, to Glinda's amazement, the portrait opened up to reveal a room inside it. Every time that she though there would be no more surprises, there was one more waiting for her.

She looked down the hallway and her eyes rested on an empty classroom just two portraits down from her own room. "What room is that, Albus?" she asked, curiously.

"Oh, that is the Dueling Classroom. Once school starts, I daresay our dueling professor, Fae, won't mind if you stop by and watch her classes," Albus replied cheerfully.

"Fae? Is that the same person that Harry was talking about earlier?" Glinda questioned, stepping into the room. The first thing that caught her eye was the color. The room was decorated with shades of blue and green, and the colors seemed to repeat everywhere she looked. Even the furniture seemed to center around these colors. The bedspread on the four-poster bed was light blue and the pillows were sea-green.

Glinda's eyes slowly wandered around the room, taking in the sofa and armchairs, writing desk, and kitchenette. She thought the color scheme was a good idea; the green especially reminded her of Elphaba, who was the reason she had decided to come in the first place.

"Yes, Fae," Dumbledore said. "You'll probably meet her later; she's a major Order member."

"How many people are in the Order?" Glinda wondered aloud.

"Oh, in total, around sixty or seventy. However, there is a small group within the larger Order that consists of twenty so-called 'major Order members,'" Dumbledore answered. "you'll most likely meet them first, before you meet the larger Order."

"What do people in the Order do? I mean, are there a variety of jobs?"

"Yes, actually. For example, Harry- you met him earlier- and Fae are both active fighters against Voldemort and his Death Easters while our Potions Professor, Severus Snape spies for us in Voldemort's ranks. Other people-" Dumbledore stopped speaking abruptly as he felt his Order necklace slightly warm, indicating that one of his members, most likely Fiyero, had returned from his mission.

"Ah, Glinda, please excuse me. I must go get a report from one of our Order members that has just returned." With a swish of his sky blue robes, he was gone, leaving Glinda alone with her thoughts.

* * *

After his long meeting with Dumbledore, Fiyero was relieved to get back to his rooms and to Elphaba. However, Elphaba had been rather…distant lately. It seemed that- although Fiyero hated to admit it- their spark of romance had disappeared.

He said the password to the portrait that guarded Elphaba's rooms and let himself in. "Elphaba, I'm home!" he called. There was a silence. He looked around; there seemed to be no one in the sitting room. "Elphaba?" he called again.

He was about to leave to his own rooms when he heard a faint thud followed by muffled cursing in Elphaba's bedroom. He moved to the slightly open bedroom door and leaned on it. "Hello, Elphaba. I'm ho-"

"Yes, I heard you the first time," Elphaba scowled. "And the last time I checked, we were in England, not home. I just managed to kick Harry and Snape out; what do you want?"

Fiyero blinked, suddenly taken aback. What had happened these past few months to make Elphaba so bitter? Well today _was_ the five-year anniversary of their "death", but even Elphaba was never this moody in years past.

"Thanks for the _warm_ and _loving_ greeting," he said sarcastically. "It was even better than Dumbledore's customary Lemon Drops."

"That's great, Fiyero," Elphaba snapped, still not looking up from her attempts at writing lesson plans.

Now, perhaps on a normal day, Fiyero would have kept his temper in check. However, the stress of his mission added with the fatigue that had been threatening his consciousness caused him to snap back at his girlfriend. "What's with you today?" he asked, irritated. "I'm home after three months and all you can say is, 'What do you want?'"

"Fiyero! I thought you'd actually understand how I'm feeling," Elphaba growled, her eyes burning holes at the pieces of paper in front of her. "For your information, today's the fifth year since I had to leave everything behind."

Fiyero's mouth dropped open. "And what about me?" he cried. "I gave up everything just to help _you_. How do you think I feel?"

"Well, if you feel so bad about it, why don't you go back to Oz?" Elphaba said, hurt.

"I just might," Fiyero shot back. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were cheating on me. Come to think of it, Snape _has_ been hanging out here a little too often for my liking."

Fiyero instantly knew he had crossed a line.

Elphaba whirled around so quickly that her chair fell over. "How dare you?" she asked, her voice tight with anger. "You _know_ how I feel about Snape, yet you question my faithfulness to you?"

"Elphaba, I-" Fiyero said apologetically.

"Get out," Elphaba finished.

"Elphaba-" he half-pleaded.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Rooms," Elphaba said in a frigid tone. "I don't want to see you right now." There was a tense silence as the two occupants of the room stared at one another.

Finally, Fiyero relented. "Alright, Elphaba. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight." He left, closing the portrait hold softly behind him.

Elphaba sighed heavily and buried her face in her hands. _Brilliant_,she thought. _Another thing that I managed to mess up on._

However, if she was to be brutally honest with herself, she did not _really_ love Fiyero- or at least not anymore.

She had _thought_ she did, five years ago. Now, though, she realized that it wasn't Fiyero she loved. The adage, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder,' seemed especially true for her; she realized that it was Glinda she had originally fallen for and it was Glinda whom her heart belonged to right now. Fiyero was always just a way for her to hide feelings that she believed were wrong.

_Who would have guessed, though_, she thought with a wry smile. _The green misfit and her popular roommate_. The way that Elphaba and Glinda had behaved towards each other at Shiz would point to nothing but a long-lasting animosity towards each other. Then again, Elphaba had always heard that there was a fine line between love and hate.

Elphaba knew that her feelings for Glinda had crept upon her slowly and subtly, like a predator waiting to pounce in the darkness. They had first appeared sometime after she and Fiyero had run off together from the Wizard's throne room and had only developed from there. With Fiyero on 'missions' for months at a time here in England, those feelings basically ran rampant with no way for her to keep them in check.

She realized that she had to end this little charade of hers before anyone got hurt. Hell, Fiyero was going to get hurt, she supposed, but better now than later- or never. _Tommorow_, she decided. _I'll tell him tomorrow._ For now, all she wanted to do was to sleep off the headache that was currently plaguing her.

* * *

The next few days slipped by quickly, as the teachers enjoyed their last few days "without those dunderheads that we have to put up with every single, bloody year," as Snape had so eloquently put it about two years ago. Although Elphaba had planned to tell Fiyero the truth, she somehow managed to avoid Fiyero and therefore avoid the truth-telling session. Finally, it was the day before the students arrived back at Hogwarts, and Elphaba could not stall any longer.

She left her rooms quietly and made her way down the echoing halls of the castle. There was a slightly abandoned feel to Hogwarts, since most of the teachers were either making final touches to their lesson plans, out in Diagon Alley purchasing supplies, or enjoying their last free day until June of next year. Therefore, Elphaba had not expected to run into anyone; she was surprised when she saw Harry walking in the other direction.

"Hello, Fae," Harry said, wary of what mood Elphaba would be in.

"Harry," Elphaba nodded in greeting. "Listen Harry, about that night- I'm sorry about how I-"

Harry shook his head. "No, it's fine. Snape and I shouldn't have-well, anyways, how are you? Ready for your fifth year as a teacher, Professor Thropp?"

"Don't call me that," Elphaba replied. "But Harry, I need some advice." She figured that it would be helpful to talk this situation over with someone else before confronting Fiyero.

"Advice? With what? Dueling? Lessons? Voldemort?" Harry asked, curious.

"No, not that. I need some help with-with Fiyero," Elphaba answered, her cheeks turning a darker green.

"Are you two feuding?" Harry questioned. "When I saw him this morning, nothing seemed terribly amiss. He's gone, though. Left to Diagon Alley about an hour ago."

"Feuding? Well, yes. Or no," Elphaba said. "I really don't know. I screamed at him four nights ago and he left my rooms. I haven't seen him since. But…" she trailed off.

"But?" Harry prompted.

"This is-it's hard to explain, really. Harry, I…don't really love Fiyero anymore." There. She had actually said it aloud. As Harry opened his mouth to comment, Elphaba help up a hand, staying him. "Wait. Let me finish before you say anything." The two Order members began a slow walk down the length of the corridor.

"Okay, there's this…person that I've slowly been falling in love with since-well, since around the time Fiyero and I had began to…be together. I knew this person wouldn't have the same feelings for me, so I continued to date Fiyero, in hopes that these feelings would go away. However, since I've come here, those feelings have only strengthened, especially with Fiyero gone most of the time. I know that I'll never see this person again, but I feel as though these feelings are getting in the way of Fiyero and my relationship…did that make any sense at all?"

Harry looked pensive for a moment. "Is this person dead?" When Elphaba shook her head, Harry continued, "Then, how do you know you'll never see this person again?"

Elphaba shrugged, not wanting to explain the whole "Wicked Witch" issue. "I just know. It'd be impossible. Anyways, do you think I should tell Fiyero the truth or keep trying to make the relationship work?"

"Tell him the truth," Harry instantly replied. "If you keep avoiding this, Fiyero is just going to suspect something. Better to tell him now than try to preserve your relationship. Besides, as you said, these feelings have only grown stronger despite your dating Fiyero for five years. There's no reason to believe that they will go away after time if they still haven't disappeared yet."

"Since when have you become so philosophical?" Elphaba teased. On a more serious note, she said, "Alright. I'll tell him when I see him later. Come on, I remember you said you wanted to see my class plans earlier?" No sooner had the famous wizard and the green-skinned witch disappeared did Dumbledore and Glinda come walking around the corner. (Well, Dumbledore walked. Glinda had sprinted.)

Glinda looked around the hallway almost desperately. It was empty. When Dumbledore caught up to his frantic guest, he asked, "What? What happened?"

Glinda seemed distracted to Dumbledore. "I thought I heard…never mind." She shook her head to clear it of the thoughts of Elphaba and continued on with Dumbledore, disappointment nagging at her.

* * *

**Coming up: A break-up and an unexpected guest at the Welcoming Feast.**

**If you haven't noticed, all my chapter titles (except for the first one) are song titles from musicals. I forgot to put this up in my last chapter, but if you can figure out which musical the title is from, you get the next chapter dedicated to you.**

**Good luck, and have fun!**

**-Wolfie**


	4. Where Do I Go

**For: maureen is me, CrystalClear444, and Kaiya33087.**

**They figured the title for chapter three is from Fiddler on the Roof. Congratulations! (maureen is me also figured out that the title for chapter two is from Aida). **

**Also, I would like to note that the break-up scene was written courtesy of Mara1313, my amazing co-author. Take a bow, Mara!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 4: Where Do I Go_

Someone knocked on the door of her bedroom. Elphaba sighed. She had just been about to crack open the book Snape had purchased for her last birthday. It looked fascinating but she hadn't gotten the chance to read any of it yet. Now, it didn't look like she was going to get that chance today. She didn't budge from her curled-up position in her armchair as she calmly said, "Come in!"

However, her only answer was more pounding on the door. Groaning, Elphaba set the book down and pushed herself out of her chair. "I said, come in!" she exclaimed as she walked towards the door.

The door hesitantly opened, revealing a bashful Fiyero. "Sorry, I didn't hear…are you busy?"

Elphaba shifted uncomfortably, "Not yet."

"I'm sorry," Fiyero said apologetically. He paused for a moment. "Are you still mad at me?"

"No, no…I'm just…I don't know." She didn't want to deal with this conversation now (or ever, if truth be told). Maybe after a good night's sleep she would be able to calmly tell Fiyero her true feelings and peacefully end their long relationship.

"Well, can we talk?" Fiyero asked, walking towards the armchair Elphaba had recently vacated when she had answered the door.

"Do we have to talk now?" Elphaba groaned.

Fiyero turned around quickly. "Yes, Elphaba, we do. The school year will start tomorrow and then you will be busy all the time. And it probably won't be long before Dumbledore needs me for another mission. So yes, we need to talk now."

"Fine!" Elphaba threw up her hands in a sarcastic surrender. "We'll talk!" She sat down on the bed, slightly angry that Fiyero had now taken a seat in the armchair and looked quite comfortable. Why did he have to barge in, take up her small amount of time to relax, and steal her most comfortable chair as well?

"Good," Fiyero said, waiting only a second before he started the interrogation. "Why did you treat me so coldly that night?"

Elphaba was shocked. "I told you! That was the fifth anniversary of the day I had to leave behind everything that I loved, Fiyero! I had every right to be in a bad mood!"

"It's been months since I last saw you, Elphaba, and you treated me like an intruder. I love you too much to let our relationship suffer like that!" His words scared Elphaba. She may be ready to end what seemed to her a loveless and dying relationship, but he apparently was not going to let go easily.

"Well," Elphaba said after a long silence. "Maybe it's time we took a…break in our relationship?"

Fiyero looked like he had been kicked in the gut. Then his face turned cold as stone. "Elphaba," he said, his voice chilly, "what exactly do you mean?"

"Just that…well…" Elphaba found herself completely unable to articulate what she had told Harry earlier today. She tried to think of how to calmly explain that she didn't love him anymore, but there was no easy way to do this and Elphaba was tired. "You know, it doesn't matter. Let's just get some sleep and—"

"Yes, yes it does matter," Fiyero said, leaning forward in the chair. "You can't just brush off comments like that, Elphaba."

"Well, I'm sorry," Elphaba retorted. "But now really isn't the time, Yero."

"It's never the time with you, Elphaba. You're always too tired or too busy to talk. I'm tired, too, Elphaba. I fight against Voldemort too, if you've forgotten."

"Okay, I'm sorry!" the witch shouted back. "I just didn't want to tell you now!"

"Tell me what now?" Fiyero asked. Elphaba took a deep breath and bit her lip. "Tell me what now?" Fiyero was now a bit annoyed at all this secrecy.

She shook her head.

"Elphaba? Fae?"

"Nevermind, Yero."

Fiyero rolled his eyes, "Well I do mind, Elphie."

She pulled a stray strand of dark hair behind a green ear and leaned forward on the bed, burying her face in her hands. She was absolutely silent for what seemed to Fiyero an eternity. Then she finally lifted her head. He was shocked to see that her eyes were full of water. He had never seen her cry before and he couldn't remember the last time her eyes had been so watery.

"That's the problem," she said quietly. "You mind too much. You're never around and you expect me to welcome you home with open arms. I can't just wait around for you forever, Fiyero. You need to be here for me, too."

Now Fiyero felt like crying. "Isn't absence supposed to make the heart grow fonder?" he asked softly.

Elphaba couldn't suppress a chuckle. It sure had made Elphaba's heart grow fonder, just not in the way Fiyero thought. "I guess it has…in a way. But…well, not for you," Elphaba finally managed to say.

She struggled to meet his hurt gaze. She hated to cause pain to those she cared about: even if she no longer loved Fiyero romantically, he would always be a good friend. "There's…someone else I care about."

Silence met her bold statement. She looked away, not wanting to see Fiyero's expression. The awkward silence stretched for what seemed like hours, broken only by the ticking of a clock. The constant beat of the clock would have made any observer of the scene think of a time bomb, ready to explode from all the tension in the room.

"Who?" Fiyero whispered.

The clock continued to tick. _Glinda would distrust clocks were she ever to find herself in England, _Elphaba randomly thought. _They seemed far too much like the tiktok inventions back in Oz._

"It-it doesn't matter. I know the person doesn't love me back," Elphaba said, keeping her eyes on the floor.

Fiyero hated silence. He listened to his breathing and the steady beat of the clock. "Who?" he asked again.

Elphaba looked up at him, pain in her eyes, but not forthcoming with an answer. Then, something clicked in Fiyero's brain. His expression grew dark and his breathing grew ragged. He knew who she loved, and despite what she had claimed about the person not loving her back, Fiyero was sure that they had been carrying on an affair while he was gone.

"My head isn't full of straw anymore, Elphaba. I'm not an idiot. I know who you've been cheating on me with, and I bet half the Order does too," Fiyero spat out his words, practically choking on some of them.

Elphaba was puzzled. She wasn't cheating on him. And she hadn't asked anyone but Harry for advice. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"I can't believe you, Elphaba," Fiyero rose to his feet. "Here I am, totally in love with you while you screw around with some creepy guy with long hair." He gestured wildly as his voice rose. "I can't believe you. I just can't believe you!" Fiyero cried, kicking over the little ottoman and toppling the book Snape had bought Elphaba.

"What in Oz are you raving about, Yero? What guy with long hair? And pick up that book! That was a birthday present from Snape!" Although she had picked up most of the wizarding expressions, Elphaba tended to revert back to Ozian expressions in times of stress or annoyance.

Fiyero's eyebrows shot up as he gaped in surprise. Then he shook his head. "And I bet that book means a whole lot more to you than our relationship. Thanks, Elphaba," he said with a sarcasm rare for his typically charismatic personality. Then he stormed out of the room, kicking her dresser as he walked towards the portrait hole. He slammed the portrait behind him.

Elphaba stood in the middle of the room, totally confused. What had just happened? Were she and Fiyero done? That certainly hadn't been the nice and tidy ending to their relationship which she had envisioned. She leaned over and picked up the book, gently setting it on the chair. Then she righted the ottoman and sat down on it. A wave of self-loathing washed over her, and Elphaba finally let herself cry.

* * *

The next day, September 1st, dawned gray and cloudy, just like Elphaba's mood. She dressed in her usual black robes and, clutching her wand, left silently. She was not in the mood for conversations of any type. Noticing Dumbledore but a few steps away, Elphaba tried to hurry past. Out of everyone in the castle, Dumbledore was the person she most wanted to avoid (other than Fiyero)- she definitely did _not_ want to endure twinkling eyes and forced Lemon Drops.

Dumbledore, however, had other plans. As Elphaba brushed past him, Dumbledore put a hand on her arm, stopping her. "Good morning, Fae," he said pleasantly.

"Hello," Elphaba sighed. It looked as though she would not be able to avoid the Headmaster. "Look, Albus, I'm tired, I'm stressed…it's just not a good time. Can we talk later?"

Dumbledore regarded her over his half-moon spectacles. Then, he took a small white bag out of his pocket. "Lemon Drop?" he offered. "I often find that they help-"

"I don't _need_ a Lemon Drop right now, nor do I want one," Elphaba raged. Then, she realized exactly whom she had just yelled at and groaned. "I'm sorry, sir." It seemed as though messing up relationships was unavoidable for her lately.

"It is fine, Fae," Dumbledore reassured her. "I shouldn't have pressed you…but I do have a small favor to ask of you."

"Yes?" Elphaba asked, hoping this would make up for her behavior in the past two minutes.

"You know our," Dumbledore suddenly lowered his voice, "-our contact for the Order?" Elphaba nodded, wondering what this had to do with her. "I'm inviting her to the feast tonight, but I will be unavailable to sit with her. Do you mind sitting by her and talking to her tonight?"

_Well, there went my day of being solitary,_ Elphaba thought. She shrugged. "No, I'll do it," she said impassively. "What's her na-"

"Wonderful!" Dumbledore cried. "Well, Fae, I must be off. So much to do to get ready for the start of another school year, you know." He hurried off, leaving Elphaba alone again.

"-name?" Elphaba finished to no one in particular.

* * *

The final staff meeting at six o' clock always had an undercurrent of tense excitement for the staff members. The teachers all milled around, some talking, others staring at the fire, still others instructing newer teachers what to expect from the students. Elphaba was talking to Snape when Fiyero walked in. Fiyero headed for her direction, saw Snape, scowled, and left, not looking back at her.

"What happened between you and Tiggular?" Snape asked, curious at Fiyero's behavior. "Last time I checked, you two seemed perfectly happy together."

"We…had a fight. Perhaps it was partly my fault, but Fiyero thinks I'm cheating on him with 'some creepy guy with long hair,'" Elphaba answered, her eyes downcast.

"Well, are you?" Snape said, smirking.

"What? No, of course not. Why in the world does everyone think I'm having an affair?" Elphaba cried, standing up.

"Sit down, Fae. I was merely trying to annoy you; I know you wouldn't do that," Snape reached out and pulled Elphaba back down onto the couch.

Elphaba sighed. "I know, Snape. I'm just-well…never mind." At this time, Dumbledore entered the room and addressed all the teachers.

"Hello everyone. To those that are new, welcome to Hogwarts and to those returning, glad to have you back. I wish you all an enjoyable ("Doubtful," Snape muttered) year. Now, we have to take care of some last-minute business.

"First, Hogsmead weekends. As Voldemort's power continues to grow, we are now increasing the number of teacher patrolling the village. The sign-up list is over there: There should be at _least_ four teachers per visit. You can work out a schedule amongst yourselves. Next, I am sorry to announce that our Transfiguration professor, Professor McGonagall, has decided to retire from being Head of Gryffindor House. In her place, she has nominated," he pulled a piece of paper out from his pocket, "Professor Fae Thropp."

"What?" Elphaba stood up, glaring at the Headmaster. "Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"Well, that's what I'm doing right now. I thought it prudent to tell you before I announced it tonight at the opening feast," Dumbledore said, seemingly unperturbed.

"And…I don't get a say in this?" Elphaba crossed her arms. Dumbledore didn't answer. He looked at Elphaba with a gaze that made Elphaba feel like he was seeing right through her. Finally, she relented. "Alright, then. But don't expect me to give in again," she added.

"Glad that's all cleared up," Dumbledore declared cheerfully. "Finally, I believe that I do not have the lists for the Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff prefects- could these be given to me as soon as possible?" It was not a request, but a command. "Thank you. It is now," he consulted his pocket watch, "six thirty. I expect all of you down in the Great Hall in fifteen minutes. That is all."

* * *

At 6:45, Glinda was mildly annoyed. So far, she had run into five dead ends, three abandoned corridors, and one secret room. By 7:15, Glinda had decided that she hated large castles. The Welcoming Feast and the 'Sorting' had started fifteen minutes ago, and Glinda _still_ had absolutely no idea where in the castle she was. For all she knew, she could be on the completely wrong side of the castle.

_I really should ask Dumbledore about putting maps up throughout this school. How in the world do people find their way here?_ she thought. Fifteen minutes later, at 7:30, she finally caught a glimpse of light from behind a set of large double-doors. _Thank Oz, _she thought, and pushed the door open. _Perhaps I could sneak in the back…_

Obviously, that was not to be the case. When the doors opened at last with a loud creak, she saw hundreds of students staring at her. "Or…not, then," she muttered, completely embarrassed.

"Welcome, Ms. Upland. I'm sorry, I should have helped you find the Great Hall. Hogwarts can be very confusing if you don't know where to go," Dumbledore said apologetically.

_Huh. Upland. Where have I heard that before,_ Elphaba thought. However, she was too busy talking to Snape to really give any thought to this subject.

"It's...okay," Glinda said hesitantly, although of course, she was horribly embarrassed. She could feel the hundreds of eyes staring at her. All the teenage boys were entranced by her beautiful figure, looking at her in a really uncomfortable way. And all the teenage girls were glaring at the woman they unconsciously saw as a sort of competition for the boys' attention. Glinda was sure that her cheeks were as warm and cheerful pink she had chosen to wear tonight.

_Say something! _Glinda's conscience yelled at her. "Well, hello everybody!" Glinda said, her voice shaky but cheerful sounding enough.

Nobody answered, but Elphaba looked away from Snape. That voice sounded awfully familiar.

Glinda's eyes roamed the room. The students were still staring but the teachers looked pleasant enough. She was about to walk across the long hall towards the table when she suddenly noticed someone staring, wide-eyed, at her. Someone very familiar. Someone with green skin.

In the un-name of the Unnamed God, was that…"Elphie?" Glinda whispered into the silence of the Great Hall.

**Coming up: An awkward reunion and a confrontation with our favorite Potions Master.**

**Can you guess what Elphaba's animagus is? I'll probably reveal it in the next chapter…**

**-Wolfie**


	5. Ya Never Know

**The title for chapter four is from…Hair. Congrats to maureen is me, who guessed it.**

**maureen is me: Don't worry. I don't know how to nor do I wish to write any sex scenes. Besides, I want to keep this story rated T. So no worries there. **

**And Mara1313 wrote the Fiyero/Snape confrontation. Brilliant, Mara.:D**

**Can anyone find the reference to Idina Menzel in this chapter? Double points if you can explain both parts of the reference.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 5: Ya Never Know_

It was to be the normal start of the school year: First, the Sorting would commence, after which Dumbledore would make random, obscure remarks. Elphaba, deliberately choosing a seat at the far end of the table, made sure to reserve the seat next to her for- well, for whoever she was supposed to play hostess to. She was sure this 'contact' of Dumbledore's would be completely and utterly boring, not to mention stuck-up and overly confident. That tended to be the personality of those that had not yet experienced this war against Voldemort. To the common outsider, it would seem as though the Order was winning, when in reality, they were barely surviving raids by Voldemort on a day to day basis.

She sighed and looked outside at the stormy sky. Rain thundered against the glass window panes and every now and then, a flash of lightning would light up the darkened grounds. _This is a rather…ominous start to the new school year, _Elphaba thought wryly.

"I would like to welcome all of you to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore stood up and announced. "I am pleased to see that all of you have made it here without getting wet." Some of the students laughed, as many were still wringing water out of their hair and robes. "Well, _too_ wet," Dumbledore amended. "As I am sure that you are all hungry after your train ride from London, we shall have our announcements after our delicious feast." He clapped his hands twice and food appeared in the previously empty dishes at all the tables.

Once he had sat down, Dumbledore looked over to the still empty seat next to Elphaba. Using quick and subtle hand gestures, she was able to communicate to the Headmaster that the guest still had not arrived yet. Dumbledore looked worried, but did not say anything.

Elphaba was about to ask if she should go and look for this guest when the gigantic double-doors to the Great Hall creaked open. The whole Hall fell silent, wondering who this latecomer was.

Elphaba was suddenly reminded of the time when one of the Weasley children (she believed it was Fred Weasley's son- it was hard to tell when they all had the trademark red hair) missed the Hogwarts Express, lost all common sense, tied his trunk to his broom, and flew the few hundred miles to Hogwarts. Elphaba turned to Snape and smirked. "Perhaps this will be another Weasley stunt," she said, grinning.

However, the person that came into the Great Hall was not a Weasley. In fact, this person was not even a student. As their eyes met, Elphaba froze. _This is impossible_, she thought. _This must be an apparition, a hallucination_, _a trick from Voldemort. _The word that echoed through the cavernous hall, though, convinced Elphaba that she was not seeing things. She had been called 'Elphie', the nickname that had been conned by Glinda herself.

"Snape," Elphaba tried to keep her voice from wavering. "Who-"

"Fae? What in Merlin's name is wrong with you? I've never seen you so…pasty green before," Snape said quietly, a worried note in his voice. "Do you need to see Madam Pomphrey? Or maybe you should go lie down."

"No. I-I should…go." Before Snape could stop her, Elphaba had stood up and swept through a door behind the teachers' table, closing it firmly behind her with a loud bang.

The door closing caused an instant uproar in the Great Hall. Many students who had had Elphaba as a teacher before were all wondering the same thing: Who was this person that caused their normally calm and collected Professor Thropp to basically have a panic attack?

Glinda cautiously made her way up to Dumbledore, her heart beating faster than normal. Was that really Elphaba, or was it just a figment of her imagination? "I'm sorry, Albus. I got lost…um…who was that?"

Dumbledore regarded Glinda sternly and then motioned for her to follow him through the door that Elphaba had just entered and down a long corridor. "In the five years that I've known her, Fae has never reacted that violently to anything," Dumbledore told Glinda as they walked.

Before he could say anything else, Glinda interrupted, "Wait! All this time, when we've been talking about Fae, we've been really talking about…Elphaba?"

"Well, so you _do_ know our Dueling Professor," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, in Oz, she was my best friend, but…how is this possible? She's dead. I saw her die five years ago," Glinda replied, completely confused.

"Five years ago? That's when she arrived at Hogwarts. She's never talked about her past before, though, except for the day that I met her. She never seemed willing to talk about it- I just understand that there was some issue with people wanting to kill her back in Oz," Dumbledore reminisced.

They had arrived at another room that was at the end of the corridor. Beyond the open door, Glinda could see a black and green figure rapidly pacing while mumbling words that she could not make out.

"Elphie," Glinda whispered again. Her eyes filled with tears as she gazed at the woman she had thought was dead for the past five years. Dumbledore nodded, indicating that she should go in after Elphaba. Glinda hesitated. After all, what _do_ you say to someone that is supposed to be dead?

Dumbledore gave her a small push. "Go in. Talk to her." Glinda slipped into the empty room silently and closed the door behind her.

Elphaba didn't turn around. "Snape," she said in greeting, thinking that the Potions Master had come after her. "What do you-"

"Elphie," Glinda said softly. Elphaba whirled around, staring at Glinda.

"Glinda, I-" Whatever Elphaba had wanted to say, she never got a chance to finish it. In two strides, the blonde witch had crossed the room to Elphaba and slapped her across the face.

"Elphaba Thropp! All this time, you've been alive and you didn't even think to tell me, your best friend!" Glinda exclaimed.

"Glinda, I swear, I wanted to," Elphaba pleaded, rubbing her stinging cheek. "Believe me, I wanted to, but I couldn't. Not without putting you in danger."

Glinda's anger instantly evaporated when she saw the apprehensive look on Elphaba's face. She felt surreal, as if she were in a dream and would wake up at any moment. "But, Elphie, how is this possible? I _saw_ you die; that horrible Dorothy girl melted you. Your scream haunted me for months."

Elphaba's heart broke as she realized exactly what she had put Glinda through. "I'm not allergic to water, Glinda. You should know that," she said softly. "And all you saw was me doing a bit of acting before dropping through a trapdoor, not melting." There was a silence as the two women truly looked at each other for the first time in five years.

Before either of them could say anything else, Glinda had launched herself at Elphaba and hugged her so tightly that Elphaba could swear something inside had cracked. "Oh, Elphie," Glinda sobbed, her voice cracking with emotion, "I-I can't believe this is real- that you're really here, really alive."

Elphaba hesitantly brought her arms up around Glinda and hugged her back, not believing that she was actually seeing the woman that she secretly loved again. The two women stayed in that position for a minute longer before they reluctantly separated.

Glinda gazed up at the witch in front of her, taking in her appearance. Elphaba's skin was still as green as ever. Her ebony hair seemed a little longer, but other than that, Elphaba Thropp had not changed at all in Glinda's eyes. Elphaba still wore her trademark black witch hat and black clothes, although they were robes instead of the dresses that she wore in Oz.

Elphaba stared at Glinda in amazement. This was…astonishing- this couldn't be happening to her. Not something this…good. Never had something good happened without other repercussions. She considered pinching herself to see if this was all really a dream, but decided against it. If this _was_ a dream, she didn't want it to end.

Just then, a question (well, many questions, actually) occurred to Glinda. She frowned and asked Elphaba, "Wait. How _did _you get here? Dumbledore provided me with a…'Port Key', but I don't think you had one…and what are you doing here?"

Elphaba was about to answer her when Dumbledore knocked and then opened the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the feast is just about over, and I'm afraid Professor Thropp must be present for the announcements. Follow me."

Glinda and Elphaba walked down the corridor behind Dumbledore back to the Great Hall. "Professor Thropp?" Glinda whispered. "You teach? And why does everyone call you Fae, anyways?"

"I'll explain everything later, I promise," Elphaba whispered back. They stepped through the door into the Hall and sat down at their respective seats.

Snape looked over at Elphaba, who had a strange look on her face. "You look better now, Fae. Are you sure you're all right, though?"

"Yeah, yeah. Fine," Elphaba said distantly. Before Snape could say anything else, Dumbledore stood up and addressed the student body.

"Well, now that we're finished with our delicious feast," Dumbledore said loudly, "I have a few announcements to make. I would like to introduce your new Defense teacher, Professor Kim Johnson." At this, a woman with brown wavy hair stood up and acknowledged the applause by a wave of her hand. "I am sure that you will get to know each other well in the coming year," Dumbledore finished.

"Next, I am afraid that our Transfiguration Professor had decided to resign from the position of being Head of Gryffindor House. She will be replaced by our very own Dueling Professor, Professor Thropp." There was a silence, and then a wave of cheering, mostly from the Gryffindors.

"Finally, I must give you all a grave warning." Dumbledore paused for a moment and gazed around at the many faces that were surrounding him. "Voldemort is getting stronger on a daily basis. Though this time of darkness, we must stay united. Alone, we are weak, but together, we can not be defeated! This year, when you face challenges, ask yourself: Are you willing to take the right road over the easy?" He paused again. "Now, I believe that classes begin tomorrow. Thus, I am going to release you to your beds to rest up. Good night." With that message, the students swarmed to the exit.

Dumbledore made his way over to where Elphaba and Glinda were sitting. "I trust that you were able to resolve your problems." he guessed.

"Yes," Elphaba replied. "We still have a lot to discuss tonight, though."

McGonagall, who had overheard this, walked over to the two witches and said briskly. "I'm afraid that you'll have to come with me tonight, Fae. I must talk with you about your new responsibilities as the Head of Gryffindor House."

Elphaba sighed and glared at the Headmaster. The reason she hadn't _wanted_ to be the new Head was because she hadn't needed nor wanted the extra responsibilities. She then asked the Deputy Headmistress, "Is it all right if I take a quick detour to drop Glinda off at her rooms, then?"

When McGonagall nodded, Elphaba looked apologetically at Glinda. "I'm sorry Glinda. I didn't know…can we talk tomorrow morning? I don't have a class first period- right after breakfast."

Glinda waved her hand dismissively. "No, no, Elphie. That's fine. And tomorrow's fine as well. But you'd better have a darn good explanation for these past five years, Elphaba Thropp."

McGonagall pursed her lips and then said, "Alright, Fae. After you drop Ms. Upland off, please meet me in my office. It was nice meeting you, Ms. Upland. Goodnight, Albus." With that, she walked away, her shoes clicking behind her.

Elphaba looked at Glinda. "Well, we should be off too, or I'll be late for McGonagall's meeting. Goodnight, Headmaster."

As Elphaba and Glinda left the Great Hall, Glinda whispered to Elphaba. "Was that woman related to Morrible?"

Elphaba stared at Glinda for a moment before laughing. "No, not in the least. That was Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration Professor, Deputy Headmistress, and up until earlier tonight, Head of Gryffindor House. She's pretty strict, but quite nice. Don't worry."

"Elphie, what's this 'house' that you keep talking about?" Glinda frowned in confusion.

"I'll explain how Hogwarts works tomorrow…didn't Dumbledore talk to you about this?" When Glinda shook her head, Elphaba muttered, "Meddling old man. I bet he _knew_ that Glinda knew me…after all, he knows we're both from Oz…wait." She stopped. "Where _are_ your rooms anyhow?" she asked Glinda.

"Kind of by the Dueling classroom," Glinda answered. "Or at least that's what Dumbledore told me that first day."

_And this gives further proof to Dumbledore's meddling_, Elphaba thought, annoyed. She then groaned as she remembered something else she was supposed to do.

"Are you all right?" Glinda said, worried.

"Fine, fine. I just remembered…I promised to pick up a potion from Snape." At Glinda's questioning look, she elaborated, "The Potions Professor. Anyways, do you mind telling McGonagall I'll be late- just go up those stairs and her office is the third door on the right. I'll come and take you to your room when I get back- is that okay?"

Glinda shrugged. "It's fine. So, I'll see you in…"

"Ten minutes," Elphaba finished. "Thanks." She then went through a door hidden behind a tapestry, leaving Glinda standing alone in the echoing hallway.

* * *

Fiyero stood in front of the portrait guarding Snape's room. He had a bone to pick here, and he wasn't leaving until Snape knew how he felt about the situation. The Vinkus prince pounded heavily on the portrait. "Snape? Are you in there?" he called out.

There was no answer from Snape's room. Everything was silent, except for the portrait who grumbled about being pounded on so heavily.

However, Fiyero ignored the portrait's groans and knocked even louder this time. "SNAPE?" he shouted. "Open this portrait!"

Again there was no reply. Fiyero was about to rip through the portrait with his fist when the portrait suddenly swung open, narrowly missing Fiyero.

"Oh, Merlin," a cool voice said sarcastically. "I sure hope I didn't hit you, Tiggular."

It took the young prince a moment to recover from the blow he had just missed. "No," Fiyero replied shortly, "but I have something to discuss with you."

"We can talk, but I'm afraid I'm late for a meeting with Fae," Snape said as he brushed past Fiyero. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"No, I'd prefer to talk with you _today_ if you don't mind," Fiyero snapped. _Meeting with Elphaba?_ He thought. _There's the proof I need right there, AND he has the gall to flaunt it in my face._

"If we must," Snape sighed. "What is it you wish to talk to me about?"

_No point in being blunt,_ thought Fiyero. "Your relationship with Elphaba."

Still, Snape seemed as cool and calm as always when he asked, "What about it?"

The Vinkus prince couldn't help gaping. "So you don't deny its existence?"

Snape seem a little puzzled, but only a little. He scowled at what seemed like a pointless conversation. "No, we have a good friendship. Far better than your romantic relationship worked out, anyways. You're wasting my time here, Tiggular. I suggest you leave before I make you."

"Excuse me?" Fiyero asked.

After a glance down at his watch, Snape began to move down the hallway, with Fiyero taking giant steps to keep up. "You know, Tiggular, your relationship with Fae was really suffering. Perhaps it is for the best that it has ended."

"Oh, so you could move in and take my place?" Fiyero growled.

The chilly darkness of the dungeon made every noise echo. Fiyero could hear the swish of Snape's robes, their footsteps on the stone, and the engulfing beating of his own hurting heart.

"No." The Potion's Professor's short, clipped answer was not satisfactory to Fiyero.

"Well, what else would you call it? You have been sabotaging my relationship with Elphaba behind my back and you think that's fine?" Fiyero's desperate tone sounded ridiculous in the echo of the dungeons where Snape's rooms were, but Fiyero was frustrated.

"Listen to yourself; you sound like a fool. I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about," Snape responded as he ascended a flight of steps, Fiyero close at his heels.

"Sure you don't. So, tell me, Snape, how long has this been going on? Just the past month or the past year? Or do I not even want to know?"

Snape glanced down at his watch. "About 4 minutes and 39 seconds, I believe."

"What?" Fiyero was now confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You asked how long our conversation has been going on. It's now been about 4 minutes and 51 seconds," Snape said smoothly as they reached the top of the stairs that led to his classroom.

In a foolish act of rage, Fiyero grabbed Snape's arm, almost jerking him out of the room.

His voice frighteningly chilly, Snape whispered, "I suggest you let go of my hand, Tiggular, before I am forced to use magic against you."

Fiyero was angry, though. And anger makes people reckless. Therefore, the Vinkus prince slowly pulled Snape's arm closer, twisting it in the opposite direction to cause pain. "Well, if you're so strong and mighty, make me, then!" he challenged.

The next thing Fiyero knew, he had somehow been thrown against a wall. Every bone in his body was aching from the sudden impact.

"Do not mess with me, Tiggular. Now, if you will excuse me, I believe that Fae is waiting for me," Snape said, casually brushing off the injured ex-boyfriend of his friend.

With a hidden store of strength, Fiyero suddenly leapt for Snape's legs, toppling the professor over.

"I suggest you start apologizing, Severus, before you're too late for your meeting!" Fiyero childishly cried.

Eyes flashing, Snape lashed out, trying to disengage from the tangle of limbs.

Fiyero retaliated angrily, landing a punch in Snape's stomach before he was thrown down the short staircase by Snape's wand. "Listen to me and listen well, Tiggular. There is NOTHING going on between Fae and I. It's all in your head, although Merlin knows there's nothing in there but air. Or straw, I suppose."

Elphaba hurried down a corridor to the Potions classroom. Snape had better be there, or she'd leave and go back to McGonagall's office. McGonagall tended to dislike it when she was late for a meeting. However, when she reached the staircase leading to Snape's classroom, where she was supposed to meet him, she was greeted by a strange sight. Snape had his wand trained on Fiyero, pinning him against the wall.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on here, Snape? Let him go!" Elphaba yelled.

With a reluctant sigh, Snape let Fiyero fall to the ground.

"Now, would you two mind telling me _why_ exactly you were acting, once again, like idiotic preschoolers?" the green witch asked. Before Snape had time to respond, Fiyero had managed to get up, charge at him, and knock him off his feet once more.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, FIYERO???" Elphaba screamed. She was now a bit more than angry as two of her best friends continued to beat each other up. With a small 'pop', a growling black panther stood where she had previously been.

Snape saw the panther charge out of the corner of his eye. In a quick move, the professor pushed Fiyero in front of him, with hopes that the Vinkus prince would be bitten first.

"Sweet Oz!" Fiyero cried as the panther toppled him over. He landed on top of Snape, who would have shoved him off had the panther not been pressing her paws into Fiyero, pinning him down.

Elphaba transformed back into her human form and stepped away from the two other Order members. "Now that we've finished our childish fight, I'd like answers as to WHY you and Fiyero decided to have a brawl on the floor of the dungeons. You are supposed to be fighting against _Voldemort_, not each other. No wonder Voldemort is winning this bloody war."

"I, too would like some answers from you, Elphaba," Fiyero declared. "Like why you were cheating on me and thought I was too stupid to figure it out."

Elphaba blinked. "What. Are. You. Talking. About?"

"You and Snape. Together," Fiyero glared at said man as he responded.

The green witch was utterly bewildered. "We're just friends, Fiyero," Elphaba said, hurt that Fiyero didn't believe her. _Why does he keep insisting that I'm cheating on him?_ Elphaba thought. _Did our five-year relationship mean nothing to him?_

Fiyero stood up quickly and brushed himself off. "Yeah, well, you could have fooled me," he snapped before marching off, leaving Elphaba and Snape, one upset, one bruised, and both of them completely confused.

**That was the longest chapter so far. 3,503 words! Woot!**

**Also, since Christmas Break is over, there might be longer breaks between updates…but I'll still update. So no worries there.**

**Coming up: Elphaba's long overdue explanation and an Order meeting.**

**-Wolfie**


	6. I Should Tell You

**The title for chapter five is from…Little Shop of Horrors. Congrats to maureen is me. **

**The Idina Menzel reference from the previous chapter is the new defense teacher's name: Kim is Idina's middle name and Johnson is from Idina's Broadway debut, Maureen Johnson.**

**And as usual, Mara1313 wrote most of the first half of the chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 6: I Should Tell You_

Glinda frowned as she attempted to decipher the crudely drawn map that she was holding. _Supposedly_, it was supposed to lead to Elphaba's rooms, but apparently, Elphaba had forgotten to take into account the changing staircases, the secret hallways, and the like. She flipped the map upside-down, as if it would magically lead her to her destination if she did so. Great. It was official. Glinda Upland was once again lost in the gigantic maze known as Hogwarts.

She turned as she heard footsteps behind her. Coming down the hallway was a dark, bat-like man with long-ish greasy hair and long black robes. "Oh, it's you," the man said as soon as he saw Glinda. "Tell me, what did you do to Fae?"

"What?" Glinda gasped, surprised at this sudden interrogation.

"Fae. Fae Thropp. Yesterday, at the feast." The man narrowed his eyes. "I swear by Merlin, if you hurt her…"

"No, no, I would _never_ hurt Elphie," Glinda said emphatically. "I was actually supposed to go to her rooms to talk to her this morning. Elphie drew me a map, but…well, I'm lost."

"Elphie?" The dark man snorted. "Seems a little perky to me. I prefer Fae, thank you very much." He stopped and stared at her. "I'll show you to Fae's rooms, as I'm going there myself. Follow me." Without another word, he left, Glinda practically jogging to keep up with his long strides.

"Who-who are you?" Glinda asked.

"I think the question should be: Who are you?" The man countered. "I'm Severus Snape, the Potions Master here at Hogwarts."

"Snape!" Glinda cried, remembering the name from the previous night. "Elphie called me that, yesterday."

"I see that," Snape replied blandly, continuing down the never-ending hallway. Finally, he stopped in front of a portrait. "Well, here we are. Hold on." He knocked on the picture of a lion and a snake entwined together.

There was no sound from inside the room. Just as Snape was about to knock again, the portrait was opened. "For the last time, I am _not_ having an affair-oh," Elphaba stopped her rant as she saw who was outside her rooms.

"Snape, what are you doing here?" Elphaba glared, still not having completely forgiven him for last night's brawl.

"Hello, Fae. I have come to apologize for how I behaved last night. I should not have been goaded into a fight," Snape said, although without seeming terribly apologetic.

Elphaba nodded, silently accepting his apology. She then turned away from Snape to Glinda. "Good morning, Glinda. How are you?"

"Fine. Better than I've been in years," Glinda answered happily. Elphaba gave a slight smile at this.

"Well, come in, then. I have some explaining to do, don't I?" Elphaba sighed. She looked at Snape again. "Thanks, Snape. And…when you see…him, tell him- well, don't tell him anything. I don't know _where_ he gets his ideas."

"He's an idiot, Fae. Honestly, I don't know why you were putting up with him in the first place. You could do so much better." With that, he left, his robes billowing behind him.

"Who, Elphie?" Glinda asked, curious.

Elphaba shrugged. "No one, Glinda. Come in," she said again. Glinda climbed through the portrait hole into Elphaba's rooms, and Elphaba closed the portrait behind her.

As soon as the portrait closed, Glinda leapt towards Elphaba, "Okay, tell me _everything_!" Glinda said.

One eyebrow of Elphaba's practically sky-rocketed. "_Everything_? Sorry, Glinda, but I'm afraid I still don't know every word in the dictionary or--"

"You know what I mean!" Glinda cut her off with a dramatic roll of her eyes. Then she started speaking really quickly, as if trying to ask as many questions as humanly possible in a one minute time span. "How did you get here? When did you get here? What have you been doing here, other than teaching, of course? How are you? Do they have places to get a manicure here? Why do the stairs move so often? Why didn't you tell me that _you were still alive?_ Would you like the Grimmerie back? Am I asking too many questions?"

Although the answer was yes, Elphaba merely stared. She finally opened her mouth to answer the way-too-giddy Glinda. "For Merlin's sake, Glinda, what did you have for breakfast this morning?"

"Um…toast, I think?" Glinda replied uncertainly.

"I was being sarcastic," Elphaba said, a small smile tickling the corners of her lips. "What I meant was, how am I supposed to answer all those questions? I mean, I've just been in another world for five years. You've been running the government back in Oz! I _never_ imagined you to be the type to run the government of Oz."

Glinda smiled bashfully. "I know, I didn't either! Every morning, when I wake up, I think, 'Sweet Lurline, what am I doing here? It ought to be Elphaba in control here. She was the smart one, the one with power and the ability to govern. I'm just the pretty girl.' But no matter how hard I wished that you back, you never returned, and I just had to go on governing Oz." There were tears in Glinda's eyes as she finished. She sniffled for a moment, while Elphaba watched in silence. "Oh, Elphie, I've missed you so much!" Glinda said before hurling herself at the green witch in a giant hug.

Elphaba was shocked to find herself hugging Glinda back and saying, "I've missed you, too!" She had missed Glinda more than she thought. It was so amazing to have her best friend back with her, one of the two Ozians to understand her—no, wait, Fiyero didn't understand her anymore. The _only_ Ozian who understood her.

After a few minutes of crying and hugging (both mostly on the part of Glinda), Glinda let Elphaba go and sat down next to her on the couch. "Okay, now, what's happened to you since you di- well, left Oz?"

"_That_ story could very well take several days," Elphaba replied. "I'll summarize for now." Her gaze drifted to the window overlooking the lake by Hogwarts while she thought of how to best sum up all of her adventures since leaving Oz. From where she sat, she could see that the storm from the previous night had cleared, giving a distinctly summer look to the tranquil grounds. "After I, for lack of a better word, died, Fiyero and I arrived here through a portal in the Clock of the Time Dragon."

"Fiyero?" Glinda shrieked. "He's alive too? H-how?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, they say breathing's one way to stay alive…" Elphaba began to the annoyance of Glinda. "Okay, so when they were…er, holding him captive, I tried to do a spell to save him. And I kind of…turned him into a scarecrow."

Glinda just nodded. So many weird things had happened in the past 24 hours; Who was she to question Fiyero's ability to turn into an inanimate object at the drop of a witch hat?

"You know the talking scarecrow with Dorothy? That was him. Except that…they didn't really melt me."

"No, really, Elphaba, I thought I was talking to a puddle here! But how did you not get melted? I _watched_ you get melted!"

A clever little smile stretched across Elphaba's face, "I told you last night, remember? You watched me do a great bit of acting before falling through a trap door. After everyone left, Fiyero—as a scarecrow, that is—helped me out and we left Oz. As weird as it sounds, we went into the Clock of the Time Dragon and the next thing we knew, we were in England!"

"Wow," Glinda said, her eyes big and bright. In her dreams, she'd kept imagining getting reunited with Elphaba. Now that it was actually happening—well, it was better than her dreams! Although Elphaba had acted really peculiar at first, talking with Glinda had loosened her up. Glinda watched Elphaba talk rapidly about how Fiyero had been turned back into a human, why they called her Fae, and how she'd gotten a teaching gig at Hogwarts without hearing a single word she was saying. All Glinda could focus on was the little smile on Elphaba's face as she poured out her story to Glinda and the way her lips looked so vividly red against her green skin. Elphaba had nicely shaped lips. Glinda had always wanted lips like Elphaba's.

Glinda suddenly realized she was staring at Elphaba's mouth kind of obviously. She jerked her head a little to shake the thought of Elphaba's pretty lips from her mind. Elphaba, however, didn't even notice. She was talking about how she met some Snape guy now—wait, wasn't that the guy who had guided her to Elphie's room? Oh, well. Glinda was too focused on watching Elphaba gesture now.

It was weird, but Glinda felt a little afraid that this was all a dream, that she would suddenly wake up and have Elphaba taken away from her once more. She couldn't bear to have that happen again. Therefore, she sat on Elphaba's bed, watching every little movement of Elphie's as if trying to remember it forever so that she could cherish these little bits of Elphaba if this was just a vision.

As the years had passed, Glinda realized that Elphaba may have been more than a friend to her. In fact, as weird and peculiar as it may be, Glinda had almost had a crush on Elphaba. Perhaps it was just a really strong admiration for the brave and determined green girl at first. However, when Elphaba challenged the Wizard all those years ago in the Emerald City, something had stirred inside of Glinda, some deeper emotion that she had never felt for anyone else.

Fear, though, could be a more powerful emotion, Glinda had learned. And the resulting guilt is the worst emotion of them all. Why hadn't she gone with Elphaba and rebelled against the injustice of the Wizard's treatment of Animals? Why hadn't she flown off with Elphaba? She could have helped her! But Glinda had been too afraid of the Wizard and his power. It had taken her a couple more years to realize that she, too, had power. Still, she hated ruling Oz. Elphaba ought to be the one ruling it, not Glinda.

All those years of guilt and suffering and shame, all those horrible years that had so tormented Glinda were now over and done. Because Elphaba was alive and okay, and that's all that mattered to Glinda. And she would finally admit it to herself. She loved Elphaba, and not just in a platonic way…but Elphaba was heterosexual. After all, she'd stolen Fiyero. Poor Fiyero. He'd never been anything but a mere symbol of status to Glinda. Well, Elphaba loved him, not Glinda. Although it was painful to finally realize who you were in love with all along and finally find out that she's alive and healthy but then have to ignore those feelings because she loves someone else, Glinda knew that it was more important that Elphaba was happy.

"…and then all of a sudden, you came into the Great Hall and said, 'Elphie?' and you know the story from there," Elphaba finished.

Glinda was startled. She'd only tuned into the last few words, but it sounded like Elphaba had finished telling the story. Darn, she'd missed most of it. But she could always ask people here for tidbits of information if necessary. She was slightly embarrassed to have not paid any attention to Elphaba's explanation of the past five years, but that shame was soon forgotten when Elphaba turned to her and asked, "So, how have the people of Oz been faring under Glinda the Good?"

Glinda gave a nervous titter. "Well. They're happy, I think. I must be a better monarch than the Wizard was, because I seem to have a lot of loyal supporters."

"You've always had a lot of loyal supporters, Glinda!" Elphaba said, grinning. There suddenly was a deep chiming from somewhere in the castle, indicating that it was time for the switching of classes. Elphaba glanced at her clock. "Oh Merlin," she muttered. "I'm going to be late for class. I'd better go."

"Merlin?" Glinda asked, bemused.

"A wizarding expression," Elphaba explained. "I have to go. Bye, Glinda. I'll see you at lunch." She dashed out of the room, slamming the portrait behind her.

* * *

One week later…

Elphaba cursed under her breath as she landed face first on the carpet of Grimmauld's Place, the official Order Headquarters. She never did like Floo Powder. Dumbledore had called an Order meeting today with only the major members. She wondered why; typically Dumbledore waited a month after school started before calling a meeting, and it had only been a week."

She felt someone grab her upper arm and haul her to her feet. "Alright there, Fae?" Harry asked, laughing.

Elphaba glared playfully at the Boy-Who-Lived. "Oh, be quiet." she tried to whack him on the shoulder.

Harry feigned a hurt look. "This is my reward for helping you?" Before Elphaba could answer, a man with blazing red hair came up behind Harry.

"Come on, Harry. The meeting's about to start," Ron said jovially. He glanced at Elphaba and added curtly, "Good morning, Thropp. I shall see you at the meeting." He left, dragging Harry with him.

Elphaba shrugged and trailed after the two men. For some reason, Ron had never trusted nor tried to get close to the green-skinned witch, not that she minded terribly. It did hurt a bit that people still judged her on the basis of her skin here, but Elphaba was thankful that it was only one or two people here compared with the whole population in Oz.

She entered the noisy kitchen of Grimmauld's Place to see that Dumbledore had already arrived with Glinda. "Elphie!" Glinda cried.

"Hello, Glinda," Elphaba smiled. She walked over to her friend. "When did you get here?"

"Glinda!" someone behind Elphaba called in greeting. Elphaba turned around to see her ex-boyfriend hurrying towards them.

"Fiyero?" Glinda asked uncertainly. Although Elphaba had already told her that Fiyero was alive, actually seeing him was a completely different matter.

"Remus told me that you were here," Fiyero said. "How have you been?" Elphaba and Fiyero's eyes suddenly met, and there was another awkward moment.

Elphaba spoke first. "I'll leave you two alone, then." She walked away from her two friends towards Snape who had just arrived.

Fiyero scowled. Glinda looked curiously at him. "What happened to you and Elphie? Are you two still-"

Fiyero shook her head. "No. She broke up with me."

_Why hadn't Elphaba said anything about breaking up with Fiyero?_ Glinda wondered. _Unless it had occurred after she'd gotten here. Maybe...maybe they'd broken up because Elphaba really loved Glinda... _

Before Fiyero could say anything else, Dumbledore came up to the two Ozians. "Fiyero, I'm sorry, but there is an urgent matter I must discuss with you."

Fiyero paused and looked at Glinda. "Apparently, her…affections changed," he spat, nodding towards Elphaba and Snape. As Glinda opened her mouth to comment, Fiyero continued, "I don't want to talk about it. I have to go, Glinda. It was nice seeing you again." He walked away and followed Dumbledore into the hallway.

Glinda's attention wandered to Elphaba and Snape. She watched from a distance as the two staff members at Hogwarts bantered playfully back and forth.

"-falling face first. How in the world can you use Floo powder without collapsing?" Elphaba was saying to Snape.

"For a black panther, you certainly are quite incompetent," Snape sneered, although without the usual bite in his voice. "Aren't cats supposed to always land on their feet? You just have to engage your center of balance as you land. Idiot."

_Black panther?_ Glinda wondered. _Elphaba may act like a panther at times, but she definitely wasn't a cat. _

"Shut up," Elphaba grinned. "Who's the one that failed his apparition test five times?"

"I should never have told you that," Snape grumbled. "Besides, you _said_ you'd never bring it up again."

Elphaba smirked. "You've told me that I'm the perfect blend of Gryffindor and Slytherin. This was my chance to prove it."

As Glinda watched, she became more and more convinced that Elphaba was in love with Snape. He definitely seemed dark enough, not to mention that he had enough sarcasm and wit to match Elphaba. Well, if Snape made Elphaba happy…

Before she could ponder more on this new train of thought, Dumbledore stepped back into the room. "Thank you for waiting for us," he said, stopping the chatter in the kitchen. "I would like to call this meeting to order."

The air filled with sounds of chairs scraping the hard stone ground of the Black's old family home. After Sirius Black had died, he had left Grimmauld's Place to Dumbledore, to be used as the official Order Headquarters. Elphaba sat down next to Snape and Glinda, trying her best to avoid Fiyero's hard gaze.

"I would like to start by introducing the 'contact' I've been hinting at for the past few weeks. This is Glinda Upland, from the land of Oz," Dumbledore began. Glinda gave a wave and a small smile to the twenty or so members staring at her. Truthfully, she felt like a bug being scrutinized under a microscope.

"Oz?" Hermione Granger asked. "Isn't that where Fae is from?"

"Yes," Elphaba answered curtly, before Dumbledore could say anything.

"Ahem," Dumbledore cleared his throat, attracting the attention of the Order members again. "Yes, well, Ms. Upland has pledged her support in the war. She also has a spell book that she's been learning to read- The Grimmerie."

Elphaba looked at Glinda. "The Grimmerie?" she asked. "So you _have_ been learning to read it."

Glinda nodded. "I'm sure you can read it a lot easier than me, though." She looked at Dumbledore. "When I said that I had a friend that could read all the spells, I was talking about Elphaba."

"You can read it?" Dumbledore directed his question at Elphaba. "Well, then, we must have a talk."

_Damn_, Elphaba thought. She had used the Grimmerie a few times back in Oz, but she had hated it each time, merely because she realized that if she had never laid eyes on it, she would never have found out about the Wizard's ulterior motives concerning her and the Animals and would never have been called a Wicked Witch in the first place.

"-Fae?" someone called, starting Elphaba out of her musings.

"Sorry, what?" Elphaba glanced up at Hermione.

"Merlin, Thropp. Pay attention," Ron snapped.

"I seem to distinctly remember several occasions during which you actually fell asleep, Weasley," Snape's silky voice cut through. "I don't believe you are in any position to criticize Fae here."

Elphaba sent Snape a grateful look. "I'm sorry, Hermione, could you repeat that?" she asked politely.

"Oh, I just wanted to know more about the Grimmerie. It sounds fascinating. Is it really in a different language? How do you read it? What kind of spells are in it?" Hermione reminded Elphaba of Glinda's rapid-fire questioning from a week ago.

"I hardly think that this is the time or place to talk about this, Granger," Snape snapped. "I for one would like to not waste my precious time listening to your voice."

"Severus," Dumbledore reprimanded.

"Sorry, Headmaster," Snape apologized. "Would you like to hear my report now?" When Dumbledore nodded, Snape began an insider's view on what Voldemort was planning.

"I'm sorry I was not able to find out much, Albus. It seems as though Voldemort does not trust me as much these days," Severus said.

"That's okay, Severus. Anything you can find out is bound to be helpful," Dumbledore told him. "Hermione, was there something you wished to say?"

Hermione pulled out a map and laid it on the kitchen table. "Okay, well, I've noticed that Voldemort seems to attack in a sort of pattern. Perhaps we could predict his next target…"

* * *

Lord Voldemort sat impatiently in a dark damp room. Kneeling in front of him was a young man.

"Why do you wish to join my ranks?" Voldemort was saying to said man. "What reason do I have to believe that you're trustworthy?"

"I wish to break away from _Dumb_ledore and his band of merry chickens," the man answered respectfully. "And I have information about the spy you've been suspecting."

"A spy?" the Dark Lord's eyes narrowed.

"Yes," the newly recruited Death Eater replied. "A spy by the name of Severus Snape."

**Coming up: A look at Elphaba's dueling class and some shocking news.**

**Sorry that took so long. I had an insane amount of trouble with the first talking scene- eventually, I just handed that over to Mara, who amazingly wrote it in about an hour.**

**-Wolfie**


	7. Day By Day

**The title for chapter six is from…Rent. Congrats to thedivinemissk and maureen is me. **

**Thanks to Mara for being a special and quick beta, as usual.**

**I also want to thank/acknowledge everyone that's reviewed so far. You guys are the best!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 7: Day By Day_

"Thank Merlin," George Hutchenson gasped as he dashed into the Dueling classroom. "Professor Thropp isn't here yet."

"Yeah," Anthony Jackson answered. "What do you think she'd do to us if she knew we were late?"

"I'd take ten points each from Ravenclaw, Mr. Jackson," Elphaba answered, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Have a seat."

The two tardy students dropped into seats in the back of the room, their faces a furious red. Elphaba leaned against her desk and looked at the three rows of third year students facing her. "Welcome to your second dueling class. I trust that you have all completed the essay I assigned last time."

A brown haired girl raised her hand in the second row. "Yes, Miss Bent?" Elphaba asked, looking at her.

"What if we wrote more than the required length of parchment? I was able to write four and a half feet," the third-year student asked.

_Oh brilliant,_ Elphaba thought. _I have another Hermione on my hands_. However, she smiled and looked at Elizabeth Bent. "That, of course, is fine, Miss Bent. In the future, though, please refrain from writing more than double the assignment length."

In the back, Anthony Jackson snickered. "Teacher's pet," he whispered maliciously.

Elphaba whirled around and looked at him. "Do you have anything of importance to add, Mr. Jackson?"

"No, professor," Jackson replied, embarrassed.

"Then, you'd do well to keep your comments to yourself. Five points from Ravenclaw," Elphaba snapped. She glanced at the rest of the class. "Please hand your homework to your left. I will collect it from the end of each row."

There was only the noise of parchment being passed around for a few minutes. After Elphaba had dropped all the essays on her desk, she strolled to the front of the room, where the chalkboard was. "Now, for today's class, I would like to focus on Voldemort's-"

As if they were a whole, most of the class either gasped, winced, or shut their eyes, as if Voldemort would magically appear because his name had been said.

"What?" Elphaba asked, feigning to be oblivious.

"You…you said you-know-who's name," one of the students whimpered.

"No, I'm afraid I don't know who," Elphaba inwardly smirked. She went through this _every single_ year. "Please enlighten me as to who's name I'm not supposed to say."

"You-Know-Who. The Dark Lord," the student answered, looking scandalized that their Dueling professor didn't know who 'You-Know-Who' was.

"I'm sorry, Miss Anderson," Elphaba said. "I don't acknowledge any 'lord'. I have absolutely no idea who you're talking about."

"V-V-Voldemort," Elizabeth Bent stammered after a silence. There was an instant uproar in the classroom.

"Silence!" Elphaba roared. "Ah, Voldemort," the class winced again. "Now we're getting somewhere." The students looked incredulous. "What?" Elphaba asked, eying each of them. "What exactly is wrong with the name 'Voldemort'?" There was another silence. "Alright, I'll admit, it's not the most flattering name I can think of, but-"

"You're not _supposed_ to say You-Know-Who's name," someone whispered.

"Really?" Elphaba asked sarcastically. "Will I get arrested if I say 'Voldemort'? Will a bolt of lightning come down and strike me dead? If someone can convince me _why_ exactly I can't say 'Voldemort', then I will stop saying it."

There was another pause. "B-because, um, You-Know-Who will um…find out and kill you," a student said.

Elphaba barely refrained from rolling her eyes. That was the lamest excuse she had heard yet. Instead, she settled for giving a short bitter laugh. "Voldemort _already_ wants to kill me. It takes a lot more than saying a name to get on his hit-list. Believe me." She stopped and looked seriously at the nervous students. "This is probably one of the most important things you will get out of this class: Do _not_ be afraid of saying the name Voldemort. In the Headmaster's words, 'Fear of a name increases the fear of the thing itself.'

"Don't you see? By not saying Voldemort, you are setting yourself up for more fear, and Voldemort will have one more thing to hold over you. Do _not_ give him that advantage. He takes enjoyment from seeing people cowering in front of him. By saying 'You-Know-Who' or 'the Dark Lord', you are merely adding to his enjoyment. Do you understand this?"

There was yet another stunned silence. The students were shocked, for no one had ever spoken to them about You-Know-er…Voldemort like this before.

Elphaba took their silence for an agreement. "Good. I'm glad we're all on the same page. From now on, I don't want to hear any more "You-Know-Who's" or "Dark Lords" in this classroom, or even any time I'm in the vicinity. If you want to talk about Voldemort, _say_ Voldemort. If you are writing an essay or taking a test about Voldemort, I will not accept answers that say "You-Know-Who" or the "Dark Lord". Is that understood?"

There was a murmur of agreement in the room. Elphaba nodded, satisfied. "Now, as I was saying, today, we will be discussing Voldemort's reign." She took a piece of chalk and began writing dates and events on the board. "Write this down; there will most likely be a test on this. Voldemort's reign began almost fifty years ago when…"

* * *

The students all jumped as the bell rang over an hour later, signaling that it was time for lunch. "Homework," Elphaba called over the clamor of students stuffing books, quills, and parchment into their book bags. "I want two rolls of parchment analyzing why Voldemort was able to gain so much power, using the notes you took today and your own research, to be due next week. And remember, when you're talking about Voldemort, I expect you to use his real name."

Elphaba gave a small grin as the last student filed out of the classroom. "Although his _real_ name is Tommy," she whispered.

"Tommy?" someone asked from the back of the room. Startled, Elphaba pulled out her wand from within the folds of her robes and shot a stunning spell at where she thought the voice had originated from.

"Sweet Oz, Elphie," Glinda cried as she leapt away from the burst of red light that had emanated from Elphaba's wand.

"Oh Merlin," Elphaba gasped, dropping her wand and running towards Glinda. "Glinda. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's all right, Elphie. But…are you _always_ this paranoid?" Glinda asked, trying to still her beating heart.

"Only when people startle me…when did you come in? No one's been able to sneak into my class before," Elphaba said.

"I've been in here this whole time," Glinda laughed. "Dumbledore thought that I would like to see your class, but he gave me this so that I wouldn't make you nervous." She held up a cloak made out of silvery material.

"An invisibility cloak," Elphaba murmured, reaching out and taking the proffered cloak. "I should have known."

"You're a really good teacher, you know," Glinda said, sitting down at one of the desks. "Although, to tell you the truth, back at Shiz, I'd never have expected you to become a teacher."

"I don't think any of us ended up where we thought we'd go back when we were at Shiz," Elphaba replied softly. There was a silence.

_Tell her. Tell her now, _Glinda mind screamed at her. "Elphaba, I-" Glinda couldn't do it, couldn't say those three words. _I love you_. She couldn't bear to think of rejection from the beautiful green woman in front of her.

"Yes?" Elphaba waited patiently. "What is it?"

"I lo-" Elphaba's heart skipped a beat. Could Glinda could possibly be saying what she thought Glinda was going to say?

However, she never found out what Glinda was going to say. At that moment, the door to the classroom opened, and Glinda lost her nerve. "-love what you've done with the place," she finished lamely. "I'm surprised that the walls aren't covered with black wallpaper or something like that."

Elphaba was sorely disappointed, but hid her disappointment well. _What did you expect her to say?_ she berated herself. _That she would actually be in love with you?_ "Thanks," she said. "I'm pretty sure that the only one who would choose to teach in total darkness would be Snape, and even he allows torches in _his_ classroom."

"I-I'm sorry for interrupting, professor," the student who had interrupted Elphaba and Glinda stammered. "But Professor Dumbledore wants me to tell you to meet him in his office."

"Alright," Elphaba replied. "Thank you, Mr. Johnson. I should go, before Dumbledore sends a search party. I'll see you later, Glinda." She stood up and left quietly, leaving Glinda alone with her frustration about not being able to tell Elphaba such a simple thing.

* * *

As September segued into October, the Order of the Phoenix began to get terribly suspicious. There had been absolutely no attacks from Voldemort, and even Snape had not been summoned to a Death Eater meeting. Fiyero had been sent off on yet another mission for Dumbledore, but had not found anything useful. There was no inside information that the Order was able to gather at all. This particular fact was making everyone extremely nervous. Even Snape was more moody than usual: Elphaba had heard a rumor that he made some poor first-year Gryffindor cry a few days ago.

The trees had began to shed their leaves and the school grounds were soon covered with beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and brown. The skies turned grey and cloudy; the heavens often would open up and dump buckets of rain onto Hogwarts.

It was on such a day that Elphaba made a trip to the Headmaster's office. The steady drumbeat of rain was surprisingly soothing to her. According to Dumbledore, a few ministry officials had arrived at Hogwarts and wanted to question her about something. As Elphaba walked up the steps, she was mentally listing things in her head that said officials would want to talk with her about. As far as she knew, she hadn't done anything that would warrant an official questioning.

She knocked on the heavy wooden door that led to the Headmaster's office. "Come in," Dumbledore called.

Elphaba hesitantly opened the door and looked in. "Hello, Albus. Well, I'm…here for the…questioning," she said.

"Good, good," an official who had been standing by a different table said. "Well, Headmaster, I'll have you step out then. As this is strictly ministry business, this must be conducted in privacy."

"I'm sorry, Auror Davis, but seeing that this concerns a member of my staff, I believe I have to right to stay here," Dumbledore evenly replied.

The first auror looked at his partner. The other auror shrugged. "It'll be alright, I guess," he said uncertainly. "After all, we're going to have to talk to him later anyways." He turned to Elphaba. "Have a seat, Miss Thropp." He pointed to a wooden chair in the corner.

Feeling very much like she was a child being chastised, Elphaba did as the auror asked. "May I ask _what_ exactly I was dragged up here for?" she asked, annoyed at all this secrecy.

"I am Auror Davis," the first auror began as if he hadn't heard Elphaba at all, "and this is my partner, Auror Xiodes. We have some questions pertaining to the behavior of Severus Snape."

"Snape?" Elphaba asked, surprised. "What does Snape have to do with anything?"

"We're doing the questioning," Xiodes snapped. He turned and looked at Davis.

"Alright, Miss Thropp, I understand you are a close friend of Snape," Davis began, looking very hard at the green witch, as if to try to detect any lies. "How long have you known him?"

"Yes, we are good friends," Elphaba answered. "I've known him for about five years, ever since I arrived at Hogwarts."

"In these five years, what has been Snape's behavior towards you, the faculty, and other students?" Davis continued.

"Mr. Davis," Dumbledore stood up. "I've already given testimony as to Severus Snape's behavior. What is the purpose of asking Professor Thropp the exact same questions?"

"Testimony?" Elphaba questioned. "Is this some kind of trial?"

Again, the aurors ignored her. "With all due respect, Dumbledore, we would like to get a different opinion on Snape before we make a final decision. Just answer the question, Miss Thropp."

"Snape has been a very good colleague to all the faculty. He may be strict, but he is a good teacher, as he generally can get the lesson across to any student," Elphaba exasperatedly told the aurors. "What is the point of all this?"

"Has Snape ever threatened you in any way, physically or otherwise?" Davis kept going.

"No. Snape is not that type of person," Elphaba growled, thoroughly annoyed now. "If you'd spent even ten minutes to get to know him, you'd see that under his mask, he really is a good friend."

"Do you think that your answers have been perhaps influenced by your relationship with Snape?" Xiodes interjected.

"Relationship?" Elphaba sputtered. "What bloody relationship are you talking about?"

"Snape's and your romantic relationship," Davis said, his ice-cold eyes boring into Elphaba's. "I've heard from several sources that you and Snape are seeing each other."

"This is ridiculous!" Elphaba stood up and glared at both men. "Why are you so interested in the personal life of a respected professor? If you care so much, perhaps you should ask Snape himself before listening to absurd rumors and acting like gossiping teenagers. And for the record, no, we're not dating! And why would you assume that because we talk to each other a lot, we're officially seeing each other?"

"Fae, please, sit down," Dumbledore interrupted Elphaba's rant. "Let me explain this to you."

"I will tell you, Miss Thropp," Davis said coldly, "why we care. There have been claims that Severus Snape is a voluntary Death Eater. We have come to Hogwarts to investigate these claims. Let me ask you bluntly: Has Snape ever, in the five years you've known him, asked you to be a Death Eater?"

"Bloody hell," Elphaba exploded. "Perhaps this is another example of you 'hearing from several sources'. Do you have any proof that Snape is a Death Eater? Can you uphold a court case?"

"We have several witnesses lined up who will willingly testify that Snape is a Death Eater," Xiodes informed her.

"Oh, really?" Elphaba said sarcastically. "Like who?"

"That would be classified ministry information, Miss Thropp," Davis replied. "We are merely here to strengthen our case and gain some more information on Snape's behavior. In the meantime, Dumbledore, I'd advice you to put Snape on probation. Best try to keep more evidence from reaching our ears," he sneered.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Thropp," Xiodes said, jotting notes into a notepad. "We will be contacting you about the date and time of the trial." Dropping his notepad into a briefcase, he snapped it shut and left the office with Auror Davis.

"This is ridiculous, Albus," Elphaba snapped once the door had closed. "What proof do they have that Snape is a Death Eater? Can't you stop this?"

"I don't know," Dumbledore answered tiredly. "They would not tell me why or how they found out that Severus is a Death Eater. Many years ago, I'd given testimony that he wasn't- I'm not sure how the court decision was overturned. I'll tell you if I find anything else out."

"Does Snape know about this?" Elphaba asked desperately.

"No, not yet. It's going to be hard telling him," Dumbledore told her. "But I owe it to him. He should know about this." He paused. "You should go, Fae. There's nothing either you or I can do about this by just complaining."

Elphaba left the office, almost shaking with anger. _These…these bastards are completely senile,_ she thought. _Of all the things the ministry has done, this takes the cake. This whole bloody ministry is as corrupt as the Wizard, if not even more so._

She was so focused in her thoughts and anger that she barely avoided running into someone. "Elphie," someone said. "Are you all right?"

Elphaba glanced up to see Glinda looking worriedly at her. "Dandy," she spat. "I'm peachy keen, seeing that one of my best friends is about to be arrested." Without another word, she stormed off, leaving Glinda very concerned about _her_ best friend.

**Coming up: Glinda gets more suspicious and a battle.**

**I _was_ going to post this over the weekend so you wouldn't have to wait so long for the 8th one, but I decided 'Oh, what the heck. I'm done with chapter 7, so why not post it now..." **

**Therefore, the 8th one might come after a little while longer, since Mara is writing the first part and she's probably busy this week what with drama rehersals and such...**

**-Wolfie**


	8. There's a Fine, Fine Line

**The title for chapter seven is from…Godspell. Congrats to Easterly Winds, maureen is me, and Wickedgreenchild.**

**Also, kudos to renny for being the 100th reviewer. :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 8: There's a Fine, Fine Line_

"_How could they possibly believe Snape was a real death eater? What was their bloody problem?" _Elphaba stormed into her room, glaring around madly for anything to take her anger out on. Snape was a good friend, and she was furious that the English equivalents of the Gale Force were now after him. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her broom leaning against a corner. With a huff, she grabbed it.

She barged out of her room as suddenly as she barged into it. Her portrait seem rather disturbed by this, but wisely remained silent. Elphaba ran through corridors, barely avoiding running into students or other professors, who looked at her as if she'd gone crazy. However, Elphaba kept moving without any apology or comment.

Finally, after a million stairs (figuratively, that it), she made it to the top of the Astronomy Tower. She marched over to the window after a brief pause to regain her breath. She pulled it open to see—

Rain. It was raining outside. The rain that had calmed her only half an hour ago now made her even more angry.

Elphaba released a barbaric yell as she kicked the wall beneath the window. Then she let out a stream of curse words for having been so foolish and hurting her foot. What right did the weather have to do this to her? She needed to get out into the fresh air and fly, free of gravity and of stupid people who were going after her friends!

"Elphie?"

In her despair and anger, the green witch barely noticed that someone had said her name. "Cursed rain! Think it's funny, huh? HUH?"

"Elphie, are you talking to…the weather?" the voice asked.

Elphaba whirled around. "Who are-oh. Sorry, Glinda."

Glinda stood there, looking timid and concerned for her friend. "I'm sorry, am I allowed up here? I just…well, you looked really upset, so I followed you to see if I could find out what's wrong and…" Glinda trailed off. _Great, could she sound any more infatuated with Elphaba than she sounded right then? Good going, Glinda!_

However, Elphaba was ignorant of Glinda's thoughts. "No, it's nothing. It's just…nothing."

A little smile crossed the blonde's face. "You ran all the way up here from your room for nothing?"

"Well…I guess it is something. Just people being STUPID. Like this STUPID WEATHER!" Elphaba yelled at the rain.

Glinda's tinkle of laughter made her turn around again. "Elphie, yelling at the rain is not going to make it stop! If there is some Unnamed God, then that would probably only make it worse! And what's so bad about rain anyway? I thought you weren't allergic to it!"

"Just because I'm not allergic to it doesn't mean I don't passionately hate it at the present moment!" Elphaba retorted before remembering this was Glinda she was speaking to- calm, sweet, caring Glinda. Glinda, who she was secretly in love with. "I'm sorry. I just…found out some really annoying news today."

Glinda took a few dainty steps towards her friend. "Well, would you like to talk about it?" she asked.

Heaving a sigh, Elphaba sat down on a table. "You met Snape, right?"

Suddenly Glinda had a feeling she knew where this was going. She was going to admit something about having an affair. Awkward would not even _begin _to describe this.

"Um, yeah," Glinda said, feeling as small as she sounded.

"Well, he's kind of…spying on the Death Eaters for the Order, but now the officials here think that he isn't pretending to be a Death Eater at all- that he really _is_ a bloody Death Eater!" Elphaba tried to explain without yelling.

_Oh,_ Glinda thought, relieved. _Well, that sounded like platonic concern. Thank goodness Elphaba wasn't romantically invol—_

"And, well, I just really care about Snape," Elphaba finished.

_Darn. _Glinda felt like crying at this revelation.

"He's just been such a good friend to me here. He understands what it's like to be seen as different- to be set apart from everyone else. He really guided me around Hogwarts my first year here. And he's always been…such a mentor in some ways, and such a friend in others."

Glinda nodded miserably.

"He's been my only real friend here."

_Oh, now she wasn't even a friend of Elphaba's anymore! She was here,_ Glinda though indignantly. "I'm here, Elphaba!" she said her last though aloud.

"I know," Elphaba replied, looking at Glinda, "but Snape's always been here. He'll always be here." She paused. "Unless they haul him to off Azkaban," she muttered sarcastically.

Glinda couldn't believe this. So, Elphaba really _was_ in love with Snape. Here Glinda was, trying to help Elphaba feel better, when doing so would be at Glinda's own expense.

Good-hearted Glinda, however, cared more about her friend than what her friend might have done behind her ex-boyfriend's back. "Oh, Elphie, I'm sorry. But I'm sure your 'Ministry' will realize that Snape's not bad and that this is all a mistake!" Glinda tried to sooth her friend.

"What if they don't?" Elphaba asked. "What if something happens to Snape because of this, when he's really innocent? Who even made up this lie? That's something that angers me a lot, too—what little creep would say such things about such a wonderful person?" She laughed bitterly. "No good deed goes unpunished," she said cynically, looking out at the grey skies.

"I don't know, Elphie, I don't know," Glinda said reassuringly. In truth, though, Glinda thought she knew. _Snape was a kind of…creepy guy,_ she thought. _He seemed the type of guy who could make someone angry- angry enough to hold a grudge against him which might manifest into…well, this whole situation._

"He's been such a good friend, Glinda! I don't know what I would have done without him!" Elphaba said, her anger transitioning into despair.

"Shh, don't worry about it! Everything will be all right!" Glinda tried to calm Elphaba. Inside, however, she knew nothing would ever be all right again. She'd convinced herself that there was a chance—a small one, but still a chance—that Elphaba might wake up one day and realize that she had loved Glinda all along. However, now Glinda realized that would never happen. Elphaba, judging from her current behavior and comments, was in love with Snape, not Glinda.

_Snape. What'd she even see in him, anyway?_ Glinda thought, slightly annoyed.

"I see, well, so much goodness in him- although he'd murder me if he knew I'd said that- and I just wish other people would see it too!" Elphaba sighed.

_Well, that answers that question…but I have so much goodness in me!_ _What about me, Elphie? What about me? I'm Glinda the Good for a reason, aren't I?_

Still, Glinda didn't say anything more. Instead she just made soothing sounds while she rubbed Elphaba's back, wishing that Elphaba would realize how much Glinda loved her while knowing that would never happen. Never.

* * *

The Halloween Feast at Hogwarts was always a sight to behold. Carved pumpkins flickered overhead, and the mirage of the sky above the Great Hall was a deep navy blue- almost black- with beautiful stars glimmering throughout it. Generally speaking, it was Elphaba's favorite holiday here in England.

There was much chatter among the students and teachers, enjoying the fruits of the House Elves' labors. Elphaba watched Snape, who was sitting two or three seats down from her worriedly. His face seemed pale and drawn; he had not taken the news of his pending arrest well. Although both Dumbledore and Elphaba had advised him to go to Grimmauld's Place to hide until this chaos was over, Snape refused to budge. Elphaba believed that his exact words were, "I will not let a bunch of idiotic officials tell me what to do with my life."

So, the only thing to do right now, although it hurt terribly, was to watch and wait it out. Dumbledore, despite many hours of searching, had not been able to find out anything on the supposed 'sources' that the ministry had gotten their information from.

"Elphie," Glinda said from Elphaba's right. "What exactly is Hello-ween? There wasn't anything like this in Oz."

"_Halloween_," Elphaba stressed. "Basically, it's where Muggles, or non-magic folk, in this world, dress up as…" she trailed off.

"As what, Elphie?" Glinda asked. However, Elphaba wasn't listening. She clenched her Order necklace that hung around her neck at all times, feeling the heat coming from it, which indicated an emergency meeting. Her eyes darted to Snape, who was looking at her in alarm, and McGonagall, who had already stood up.

Elphaba glanced at Glinda and then stood up as well. However, she was stopped by a hand tugging at her arm. "Elphie, what is it? What happened? Are you all right?" Glinda asked in concern.

"Nothing's happened," Elphaba said. _Or at least, I hope nothing happened. Maybe it'll be another false alarm_, she added in her head. "I have to go."

"Should I come with-" Glinda began.

"No, no, I'll be fine," Elphaba replied distantly, her mind miles away. "Hopefully," she muttered pessimistically.

Glinda frowned in concern, but before she could say anything else, Elphaba pulled her arm away and followed Snape and McGonagall, who were waiting for her by the door behind the teachers' table. Quickly, the three Order members left the festivities of the Great Hall, muttering a hurried excuse to those teachers not in the Order.

"What is it?" Snape asked as soon as they were away from the chatter of the Hall. "Why did Albus call a meeting, and an emergency meeting at that?"

"I think there might have been an attack," McGonagall said tersely. "Albus had expressed to me his fears that Grimmauld's Place might be attacked. He suspects a traitor in the Order, you know."

"A traitor?" Elphaba asked, surprised. "How does Albus know about this?"

"Not for sure," McGonagall answered. "But little things add up: the fact that Fiyero couldn't find any information at all, you, "she looked at Snape, "not being called to You-Know-Who," here, Elphaba glared at McGonagall, "for meetings, things like that. Besides, how would the ministry have known that Snape was a Death Eater? As far as I know, the Order members are the only ones that know."

"You must be out of your mind," Snape snapped.

At the same time, Elphaba asked sarcastically, "Are you suggesting that _Voldemort _reported Snape to the Ministry? Because I'm _sure_ that he can open the door, waltz up to the front desk, and say, 'Hi. I'm Voldemort. You may remember me. I'd like to report that Severus Snape is a Death Eater."

"What would he gain by doing so?" Snape continued.

"Not _him_," McGonagall replied impatiently. "But perhaps he ordered one of the Death Eaters to do it. As for what he would gain, well, you're a bloody traitor, Snape. Wouldn't it be ironic for you to be condemned by the very people you are trying to help?"

Snape glared, but before he could argue further, they had reached the secret room that the Order members grouped in while at Hogwarts. "Shut up," Elphaba growled, her nerves strained to breaking point. "You can discuss this later."

The three teachers made their way into said room in tense silence. Other members milled around, waiting for Dumbledore to show up. Elphaba made her way over to Remus Lupin, who was standing by the window. "Remus," Elphaba said urgently. "What's happened? Why did Dumbledore-"

"There's been an attack, Fae," Remus replied without looking at her. "I'm not sure where, though. I just know there's an attack, and a big one at that."

Before Elphaba could ask anymore, Dumbledore hurried into the room. There was a sudden stillness in the room as the leader of the Order arrived. "There has been an attack at Grimmauld's Place," Dumbledore said as soon as he arrived.

At this announcement, a muted muttering filled the room. Since only a member would know where Grimmauld's Place was, there had to be a traitor in the Order.

"Silence, you fools," Snape's voice rose over the other members' speculations. "Do you want to find out what's going on or not?"

Several people glowered at Snape, and Dumbledore nodded approvingly. "Thank you, Severus. The attack started five minutes ago. Voldemort," here, three-fourths of the Order members flinched, "has brought every single Death Eater at his disposal-"

"In other words, we're pretty much screwed," Ron Weasley interjected tactlessly.

"_Thank you_, Weasley," Snape snarled.

Dumbledore raised his voice. "Aurors have arrived, but find themselves seriously outnumbered. We have sixty members here and about thirty Aurors at Grimmauld's Place. Today, I only want defense. None of you are to pursue the Death Eaters or perform unnecessary heroic acts. We don't have enough people to spare for that."

Dumbledore made a little motion with his hand, enabling the Order members to have the ability to Disapparate from the Hogwarts Grounds. "Now move out."

With that, members began to disappear as they Apparated to Grimmauld's Place.

Elphaba took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for yet another battle before doing the same. She _hated_ everything about a battle: The sight of a friend falling besides her, the sounds of pained screams, the smell of death, the feel of a dead body, cold and devoid of life, and the taste of tangy blood lingering in the air. Still, this was her duty, and she would not avoid it, however much she wished to.

When she felt her feet hit solid ground again, she opened her eyes and scanned the battlefield. Grimmauld's Place had been set on fire, no doubt trying to weed out any Order members remaining in the Blacks' old family home. Muggles were screaming, trying to get away from the jets of lights and the people in black cloaks. Before she could see anymore, she felt a spell being cast behind her. Another battle for her life had begun.

After some time of trading spells back and forth with various Death Eaters, Elphaba paused, gasping for breath. There was something extremely suspicious going on- the Death Eaters were never this strong before. This worried her; she would have to mention this to Dumbledore at the debriefing, although, she figured that even Dumbledore would notice this little fact. She pushed a strand of black hair away from her sweaty face and scanned the battlefield.

The Death Eaters were definitely gaining ground. Slowly, but surely, they broke through the Order and Aurors. Elphaba looked around for Dumbledore to alert him of this urgent matter, but noticed that the Headmaster was busy dueling with Voldemort himself.

She couldn't pause for more than a moment, however. Even as she watched, hordes of Dementors began to swoop down on the unsuspecting Order members. "Fae, your patronus," Remus screamed breathlessly.

Elphaba needed no further urging. She made her way over to Remus, fighting the cold that was seeping into her mind. Standing back-to-back with the werewolf, she raised her wand and cast the Patronus. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remus's wolf Patronus run towards the dementors, with her silver panther following close behind.

Voldemort and Dumbledore were dueling nearby, and Elphaba could hear every word that Voldemort was saying. It was obvious that Voldemort had the upper hand, and it looked as though Voldemort knew it.

"Give it up, old man," Voldemort cackled, much like Elphaba had done when she had been the Wicked Witch of the West. "You'll never win, Dumbledore!"

"You're wrong, Tom," Dumbledore replied wearily. "Even if you defeat me today, my mantle will doubtlessly be taken up by many others."

Voldemort laughed, as if Dumbledore had told a joke. "Then, I will kill the others. There will be no more resistance against me. I have a new weapon not even your pathetic Order will be able to defeat," he sneered, his red eyes boring into Dumbledore's blue ones.

"You always say this, Tom," Dumbledore said as he summoned a large chunk of stone to block yet another spell from Voldemort. "But yet, you never deliver. You can not worry or distract me."

"Your arrogance will be your defeat," Voldemort predicted.

"How ironic," Harry snapped, suddenly appearing besides his mentor. "I was about to say the same to you."

"I am not arrogant," Dumbledore stated blandly. "I am merely telling the truth." He turned to look at his ex-student. "Leave, Harry. This is not your fight."

"No," Harry countered, "I'm going to help you no matter what."

_A new weapon?_ She wondered. _Could this have to do with how strong the Death Eater's have become?_

"Fae!" someone screamed. "On your left!"

Elphaba whirled around, but the warning had come too late. A jet of red light hit her chest where her ribs were. She brought her fingers to her chest and they came away with blood that had already begun to stain her robes. Another jet of light hit her from the side, throwing her into the door of the old headquarters.

Elphaba's vision slowly faded into darkness.

**Coming up: Snape's trial. Dun dun dun…**

**-Wolfie**


	9. Pandemonium

**The title for chapter eight is from…Avenue Q. Congrats to Easterly Winds, thedivinemissk, RECblue8, maureen is me, and Wickedgreenchild.**

**Okay, before I forget, here are three things that I meant to mention last chapter, but forgot:**

**1. Mara wrote the beginning scene in Chapter 8 where Elphaba and Glinda talk about Snape. Brilliant as always.**

**2. Midnightpopcorn helped me with the title of chapter 8.**

**3. There is a "news" section in my profile which will be updated every two to four days. So…if you're wondering why I haven't posted for a month (probably…er…hopefully won't happen), check that. **

**I'm just going to rant for a moment here: _Why does EVERYONE post original fiction on the Wicked section???_ breaths Sorry about that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

**I lied. Snape's trial is actually in the next chapter. The hospital scene was a lot longer than I expected. (Well, the real reason is because I can't write trial scenes for the life of me, so I dumped it on Mara.)**

**This was not beta-ed, so it might not be as great…Wow. That was a lot of author notes…ON WITH THE _ACTUAL_ STORY!

* * *

**

_Chapter 9: Pandemonium_

_It was sunny._ That was Elphaba's first thought as she slowly returned to consciousness. She blinked as said sunlight filtered through the blinds in the Hospital Wing. _Where was she? What happened?_ She opened her eyes and looked around the sterile room. Suddenly, the events of the battle at Grimmauld Place rushed into her mind and she sat up with a gasp. She attempted to get out of the bed to find out what had happened, but a sharp pain in her ribs forced her to sit back down again.

This gave Madame Pomphrey enough time to walk out of her office and see Elphaba trying to sneak out of the Hospital Wing. She crossed her arms and glared at said green witch. "Are you going somewhere, Thropp?" she asked, tapping her foot.

"I need to talk to Albus," Elphaba explained as she stood up, ignoring the dull throbbing in her chest area.

"You need to rest," Pomphrey corrected. She walked over to Elphaba and glared at her again. "Get into that bed. Now. Before you make me force you."

Before Elphaba could argue further, the door to the Hospital Wing opened and Albus Dumbledore walked in. "Fae! Glad to see that you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," Elphaba replied. "Really," she said in response to Pomphrey's raised eyebrow.

"I don't care how 'fine' you feel, Thropp. I still want you to stay here for at least another night," Pomphrey interjected. "Now, Albus, if you please, she needs rest, not people pestering her."

"I'm sorry, Pomphrey. I certainly wouldn't want to take you away from your wondrous care of your patients. However, this can not wait. Could I perhaps chat with Fae for ten minutes?" Dumbledore asked.

"Fine," Pomphrey finally gave in. "But make sure that Thropp doesn't go anywhere. And if you help her sneak out, so help me Merlin, I will hunt you down and murder you myself, Headmaster or not."

"No need to worry about that, Poppy," Dumbledore reassured her. "I sincerely believe that bed-rest is the best remedy you could give Fae right now, given the circumstances."

"Circumstances?" Elphaba questioned quickly. "What circumstances?"

"Well, that's actually what I wanted to discuss with you," Dumbledore turned towards Elphaba as Pomphrey slipped into her office and closed the door. "First, I want to ask you, how _did_ you get hit at Grimmauld Place? Usually, you're one of the most agile fighters."

"I…er…kind of lost my concentration," Elphaba admitted sheepishly. "I couldn't help but notice what Voldemort was telling you." She paused. "Do _you_ think that Voldemort really has a new weapon or was he merely bluffing?"

"Honestly, Fae, I am not sure," Dumbledore said honesty. "At first, I was sure that he was lying, as I'm sure you heard me tell him, but reports from other Order members have caused me to rethink that statement. Apparently, the Death Eaters were-"

"Much stronger than ever," Elphaba finished the Headmaster's sentence. "And I felt that way too. What do you think could be the cause?"

"I don't know, Fae. I don't know," he answered. "Now, about the 'circumstances' I was talking to Poppy about. Promise me you won't do anything…rash when you hear about it. I want you to stay in this bed and rest up for tomorrow."

"Rash?" Elphaba said, alarmed. "What's happened? Why would I do something 'rash'? And what's happening tomorrow?"

"We were able to drive the Death Eaters and Voldemort away," Dumbledore said. "However, as we were about to leave, Ministry officials came and…" he trailed off.

Elphaba listened to this with a slow sense of growing dread. "And?" she prompted, knowing the answer, but hoping that she was wrong.

"Severus was arrested on the charges of being a Death Eater," Dumbledore finished. "Sit down," he added as he saw Elphaba jump up out of the bed.

"Where is he? Not in Azkaban?" Elphaba gasped.

"No. Severus is currently in a Ministry holding cell, I believe," Dumbledore reassured her. "Are you willing to testify at his trial?"

"Yes. Of course," Elphaba frowned. "When is it?"

"November 3rd," Dumbledore answered. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But it's only October 31st," Elphaba said, confused.

"Fae, you've been unconscious for two days. Today is November 2nd. Tomorrow is Severus's trial. Do you think you'll be strong enough to testify?"

"I told you- yes. That is, if Madame Pomphrey lets me out of the Hospital Wing by then," Elphaba replied.

"I'll talk to her about it," Dumbledore promised. "Speaking of Madame Pomphrey, I'd better go before she comes out and makes good on her promise," Dumbledore smiled. "Don't worry, Fae. Everything will work out. Don't worry too much."

"I hope so," Elphaba said apprehensively. "I definitely hope so." Dumbledore nodded to her and left, closing the Hospital Wing door behind him.

When Madame Pomphrey heard the door closing, she stormed out of her office in a very bad mood. "Finally," she muttered, herding the green-skinned witch back into bed. "_Some_ people just don't understand the importance of resting after receiving an injury."

Elphaba had no time to answer the Hogwarts nurse. With a 'bang', the Hospital door opened yet again, admitting another visitor into the quiet room. Madame Pomphrey turned around, exasperated. "And my point is proved," she snapped at the newest visitor.

"I'm sorry," the visitor apologized. Glinda. "I just wanted to see Elphie. Is she-"

"Glinda!" Elphaba called, completely disregarding Pomphrey's advice to stay in bed and getting up once again.

"Elphie! Thank Lurline you're alright!" Glinda cried, hurrying towards her best friend and encircling her in a giant hug. Elphaba tried to suppress a wince, but was only partially successful. Glinda immediately pulled away and looked at Elphaba worriedly. "I'm sorry- did I hurt you again?"

"No, no, Glinda," Elphaba tried to reassure the blonde. "I'm okay. You didn't do anything."

"But you winced when I-" Glinda seemed terribly distressed about possibly re-injuring Elphaba.

"Glinda," Elphaba tried to say. Her friend didn't answer, still beating herself up for hurting Elphaba again. "Glinda!" she said louder, trying to get Glinda's attention. "I told you, it wasn't your fault. I just felt a small twinge, that's all."

"Which is _exactly_ why you should not be standing around right now," Madame Pomphrey interrupted. "Do you _want_ to be hurt again?"

"Of course not. She's right, Elphie!" Glinda said. "Why aren't you resting? I don't want you to overexert yourself before you're ready."

"I honestly don't think I'll 'overexert' myself," Elphaba replied wryly. "This would be one of the…milder injuries I've received." However, instead of relieving Glinda's fears, this statement only served to worry her more.

"You've been unconscious for two days and this is still one of your 'milder injuries'?" Glinda asked in disbelief. "What's happened to you these past five years?"

"A lot," Madame Pomphrey answered for Elphaba. "And yet, she still doesn't understand the concept of resting. I take it you haven't forgotten the events of two years ago, Thropp?" she directed this question to a sullen Elphaba.

"What happened two years ago?" Glinda questioned, frowning.

"Nothing," Elphaba said quickly, getting back into the hospital bed if only to keep Pomphrey quiet. "And I don't see the point of bringing it up again, anyways."

"About two years ago, there was a series of attacks that had nothing to do with You-Know-Who," Pomphrey began, despite Elphaba's attempts to make Pomphrey keep quiet. "The Order was particularly worried that there might be another Dark Lord on the rise, so they attempted to 'nip it in the bud', so to speak. They spent a lot of time trying to find the source of these attacks.

"Thropp here, decided to operate on pure adrenaline. Over a period of two weeks, she taught classes by day and researched or followed leads by night. She literally slept only about two to three hours each day and she barely ate."

"Well, I learned," Elphaba grumbled, annoyed that the Hogwarts nurse decided to spill her life story. "Isn't that good enough for you?"

"If you learned, you would be resting right now, wouldn't you?" Pomphrey shot back. "Anyways, after two weeks of attempting to live like this, she passed out from exhaustion in a class. Scared the living daylights out of her students, I must say."

"Oh Elphie," Glinda said, looking at said witch. "You have to start taking care of yourself better."

"I haven't done _that_ again, if that's what you mean," Elphaba groaned. "And why in Merlin's name did you have to bring it up?"

"To illustrate my point. Now sleep. Otherwise, I'll bring you a Dreamless Sleep Potion from my office," Pomphrey ordered. "Miss Upland, will you make sure that Thropp actually _sleeps_?"

"Of course I will," Glinda squealed. Pomphrey nodded to her and then went back into her office. "Now, Elphie, you heard the nurse. You need to-"

"-get out of here," Elphaba interrupted. "I'll go stir crazy if I'm cooped up in here. Besides, tomorrow is Snape's trial. I need to talk some more to Dumbledore about that."

"Honestly, Elphaba, you won't do Snape any good if Madame Pomphrey deems you unready to even _go_ to the trial tomorrow," Glinda argued. There was a silence.

"Alright, Glinda," Elphaba finally sighed. "You win. You both win." She rolled her eyes and slipped back into the vacant bed. She tried to hide a yawn, but couldn't.

"Touché," Glinda said, triumphant. "I'll see you later, Elphie. Have a good nap." _Sweet Oz, I sound so…obsessed with Elphaba,_ she thought to herself. _Thank Lurline Elphie's so terribly oblivious to this kind of thing.

* * *

_

Courtroom #4 was packed to the rim with people on the day of Severus Snape's trial. Reporters rushed in and out of the room, aurors stood around looking extremely bored, and other wizards and witches that just wanted to watch sat on the wooden benches, muttering to each other.

Elphaba had barely made it out of the Hospital Wing. Pomphrey had been particularly annoyed when Dumbledore had asked if Elphaba could leave to go to the trial. She finally agreed, but not without some major threats on her part to her patient. Right now, Elphaba was going with Dumbledore and Harry, both who were to be witnesses for Snape, to the cell in which Snape was currently being held.

"Headmaster!" Snape said when he saw the group that was heading towards them. "Fae!" He paused. "Potter," he finally said, although not so enthusiastically.

"Snape," Elphaba replied. "How are you?"

"I could ask the same of you." He turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, if today doesn't work out-"

"Have faith, Severus. Have faith. We're all here to testify for you today," Dumbledore tried to reassure his Potions Master.

"Do you know who's testifying on the opposite side?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure- I heard that Lucious Malfoy was one, but other than that, I have absolutely no idea," Snape said. However, judging from his expression, Elphaba could tell that he known more than he let on.

It seemed that Dumbledore realized this too; he asked his two companions if he could speak to Snape alone. Elphaba and Harry moved aside to give Dumbledore and Snape some privacy.

"So…" Harry began, trying to strike up a conversation. "It's your first trial, isn't it, Fae?"

"Yes," Elphaba answered curtly, too nervous to really talk a lot. "You've testified at a lot of trials- what is it like?"

"It's not bad, honestly. Snape's lawyer will ask you a few questions about your relationship with Snape and his general behavior. Then, the other lawyer will cross-examine you to try to make your testimony invalid," Harry explained in a straightforward manner.

"Wonderful," Elphaba muttered sarcastically. Before she could say more, however, the four people heard the sound of a bell, which signified the beginning of the trial.

"We should go, Snape," Elphaba interrupted Dumbledore's and Snape's conversation, "or we'll be late for your trial."

"Don't worry Severus. Everything will work out," Dumbledore said with what he though was a reassuring smile to his employee. "You'll see."

"Thank you Headmaster, for doing this for me," Snape answered sincerely.

"Not at all, my boy. It's the least I can do after all the risks you've taken for us," Dumbledore reassured Snape. "Now, I'll see you in a few minutes. Good luck."

* * *

"Order! Order!" Elphaba, Harry, and Dumbledore entered Courtroom #4 amid chaos. The judge, Daniel Gibbs, pounded his gravel on his desk, trying to get some sort of order in the room. The three Order members that were testifying for Snape sat down in the front row of benches, which were reserved for those who were testifying (either for or against the defendant).

"Alright, Albus. Spill," Harry said as soon as they sat down. "What did Snape know? I could tell that he was hiding something."

"Yes," Albus sighed, looking tired. "Snape…knows exactly who is testifying against him. And it isn't very good news. It's actually quite disheartening."

"Disheartening? Malfoy?" Elphaba asked. "Albus, I thought that Malfoy isn't as respected in this community as before; surely his testimony won't carry that much weight. Certainly not enough to really discredit yours, or even Harry's." Harry nodded his agreement.

"Alas, if only it were only Malfoy that was testifying on the opposing side," Dumbledore whispered, trying to keep the people behind them from hearing what he was about to say. "There is another person who is also testifying."

"Who?" Harry snapped. "Just tell us the name already. It honestly can't be that bad!"

"Ronald Weasley," Dumbledore finally said. There was a silence as Elphaba and Harry tried to digest this unwelcome piece of news.

"Ronald Weasley?" Elphaba found her voice first. "Tall, red-haired Ron? Harry's best friend?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Unless you know a different Ronald Weasley."

"But why?" Harry asked. "Why would Ron even _want_ to testify against Snape. He _knows_ how important Snape is to us. To the Order, I mean. Honestly, I don't like Snape, but I wouldn't testify against him, especially when I know he's done nothing wrong."

"I don't know, either, my boy," Dumbledore answered. "But this is completely- well, I'm just going to have to have a talk with him."

"More than a talk," Elphaba hissed fiercely. "If he _is_ really going to hurt Snape by testifying, I'll kill him myself."

Harry gave a short laugh. "Then, we'd be attending _your_ trial, Fae. So, I suggest you didn't."

"Why not?" Elphaba challenged. "Why are you defending Ron? You know that it's wrong of him to even _think_ about testifying against Snape. Not just because he's hurting Snape, but because he's hurting the Order as well."

"Perhaps it's because he's my best friend. He's been my best friend since my first day at Hogwarts. I just want to give him the benefit of doubt. Wouldn't you do the same for Glinda?"

"Don't bring Glinda into this," Elphaba bristled. "She has nothing to do with this- they are completely unrelated situations and you know it."

"Stop it, both of you," Dumbledore quickly took charge of the situation before it got out of control. "There are bigger matters to worry about right now. Harry, Fae, I expected better from both of you."

"Sorry, Albus," Elphaba muttered. She turned to Harry. "Truce?"

"Fine," Harry replied, taking Elphaba's offered hand and giving it a quick shake. "Truce. I apologize."

"Quiet!" The judge finally managed to quiet the courtroom down. As the clock struck eleven, the chattering died down, to be replaced with whispers and others of the sort. The trial had begun.

* * *

**Just a teeny, tiny cliffhanger this time. Okay, maybe not so teeny, tiny.**

**Coming up: Snape's trial (for real this time).**

**And for those people wondering when the actual slash is coming…probably right after the trial (meaning after chapter 10). There'll be about two-three chapters dedicated to that.**

**-Wolfie**


	10. Cell Block Tango

**The title for chapter nine is from…25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Congrats to Easterly Winds, Wickedgreenchild, GreenCowsGoMoooo, and thedivinemissk.**

**Okay, so, since I know zip about trials, Mara basically wrote most of this and I beta-ed. Well, alright, I suppose I wrote Harry's testimony and the end, but Mara wrote everything else. Woot!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 10: Cell Block Tango_

"So you're saying that Professor Snape's _not _a Death Eater?"

"No, I'm saying that he _is_ a Death Eater—although not by choice."

"How can you not be a Death Eater by choice?" the lawyer asked, confused.

Elphaba might not have known much about trials, but she knew enough to see that the lawyer defending Snape was horrible. She groaned as Dumbledore passionately tried to explain how Snape was simply a spy, a pawn in the bigger game, not an actual accomplice to Voldemort. However, this shrimp of a man defending Snape seemed completely oblivious to what was happening in the world around him.

"As I explained before," Dumbledore said with forced patience, "Severus Snape is a trusted friend—he is spying on Voldemort for us under the guise of being a faithful servant to the Dark Lord although in actuality, he is not. Although he _was_ a Death Eater, before Voldemort's first downfall, he turned traitor for us and has worked for the final defeat of Voldemort ever since."

"Thank you, no further questions Your Honor," the lawyer, a Mr. J. T. Brimble nodded at the judge before sitting down.

"So, how long have you known Snape, Professor Dumbledore?" the lawyer from the other bench, Aaron Cheftin, stood up. Elphaba could instantly tell from his tone of voice and the way he held himself that he was a cocky, arrogant man—who probably (and unfortunately) was a much better lawyer than Mr. Brimble.

"Since he began teaching at Hogwarts, twenty years ago."

"And how long has Snape been a Death Eater, Dumbledore?" Cheftin continued.

"Since before Voldemort's first downfall at the hands of Harry Potter," Dumbledore answered yet again. Most of the eyes in the courtroom flicked to Harry's scar, much to said man's annoyance.

"And in all that time, sir, has Snape been telling you what You-Know-Who is doing?" Mr. Cheftin asked.

"Ever since he became a spy for us, yes."

"Do you have any way of knowing for sure whether Snape is telling you the truth?" _Merlin,_ Elphaba though. _Why couldn't we have _this_ man as Snape's lawyer instead of Brimble? At least he knows what he's doing, I'll give him that._

"Considering the fact that Snape often tells us what Voldemort is planning to do, and then, he or the other Death Eaters actually follow through with their plan, yes, I would say we know for sure."

"And how do you know that Snape isn't telling You-Know-Who about your plans?" Cheftin challenged.

A murmur spread around the courtroom before Mr. Brimble finally remembered he was defending Snape and stood up and yelled (much louder than necessary), "Objection!"

"Sustained," the judge, Daniel Gibbs, replied lethargically.

"Actually, I would like to answer," Dumbledore said politely from his seat in the box adjacent to Gibbs. All eyes in the courtroom turned to the aged headmaster. "Of course Voldemort expects Snape to tell him our plans. Thus, naturally, Snape must have a ready answer. This would be why Snape and I work out realistic ways to answer any potential questions about the plans of the Order or Hogwarts. If Snape didn't stick to those plans, then we would have been attacked a long time ago. Therefore, no, Snape is not telling the Dark Lord our plans."

Mr. Cheftin considered Dumbledore's answer for a moment. "No further questions, Your Honor," he said to Gibbs, although he was still staring thoughtfully at Dumbledore.

"The witness may step down."

Dumbledore gratefully took his seat in the courtroom next to Elphaba. They looked at Harry as he was called to the stand.

"Mr. Potter, how long have you known the defendant?" Brimble began with the customary question.

"For almost fifteen years," Harry answered.

"And how long have you known that Snape was a spy for the Order?"

"I've suspected since my fourth year at Hogwarts, but I've known for sure for eleven years," Harry answered.

"What reason would you have to be reassured that Snape is spying for the Light side?" Brimble questioned.

"Well," Harry began cautiously, "like Dumbledore said, the information Snape gives us is never wrong. Whatever he says the Death Eaters or Voldemort will do, they will do."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. No further questions, Your Honor," Brimble smiled at what he believed was a job well done.

Mr. Cheftin stepped forward. "Mr. Potter, is it true that due to your visions from You-Know-Who, you received Occumentary lessons from Snape?"

"Yes sir, during my fifth year at Hogwarts, and again after I left school," Harry answered.

"Do you think perhaps Snape addled your brains so that you would believe that he is a loyal member to the Light side? After all, if he was a Death Eater, even if he isn't now, he must know some very dark spells."

"Objection! This is merely guesswork!" Brimble called from his seat.

"Sustained," Gibbs ruled.

Cheftin gave the Boy-Who-Lived a quick glance. "No further questions, Your Honor."

Elphaba gave Harry a reassuring smile as he sat down, but it was she who needed a reassuring gesture when her name was suddenly called.

"I call to the stand Miss Elphaba Thropp," Brimble called.

_Oh, Merlin_, Elphaba thought, _here we go_.

She swore to tell "the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help her God". Then she gingerly took her seat.

"Miss Thropp," Mr. Brimble began, "how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?"

"Five years- ever since I first arrived in England."

"And how long have you known the defendant?"

"For that same amount of time, five years."

"In that time, have you noticed any… dark behavior?"

_What kind of question is that?_ "He's the potions master, he lives in the dungeons, of course his behavior is dark!" Elphaba replied, causing everyone in the courtroom to give a little chuckle at the idiocy of this lawyer.

"Let me rephrase my question, Miss Thropp. Have you ever noticed any behavior from Snape that seemed to be in support of the Dark Lord?"

"Well, of course he was pretending to be a Death Eater, but he never showed any signs of supporting their beliefs," Elphaba replied. _Well, thank Merlin this is going well so far_, she thought.

"Thank you, no further questions," Mr. Brimble concluded.

Elphaba was about to breath a sigh of relief and step down when she realized that they weren't done with her yet—she still had to be cross-examined. _Oh, great_, Elphaba groaned inwardly, _here it comes…_

Mr. Cheftin strode forward almost cockily. "Miss Thropp, is it true that you and Snape are romantically involved?"

"Objection!" Mr. Brimble cried in a singsong voice.

"Overruled," was Gibb's bored response.

Mr. Cheftin smiled at the commotion he had caused, "Please answer the question, _Professor_."

"It is most certainly not true!" Elphaba snapped. "And anyway, what would it matter if Snape and I were romantically involved?" As soon as Elphaba heard the gasps from the onlookers, she realized that had been the absolute worst thing to say.

"Oh," Mr. Cheftin said, raising his eyebrows. "So you only _want_ there to be a romantic relationship between the two of you?"

Mr. Brimble stood up again, "Objection! He is leading the witness!"

"Sustained."

"No, I do _not_ want there to be a romantic relationship between us! Our relationship is strictly platonic! He's a good friend of mine, and that's all!" Elphaba growled. _Okay, Elphaba, breath,_ she berated herself. _You won't do Snape any good if you lose your temper here._

"Okay, well, isn't it true that you recently broke up with your boyfriend, Mr. Fiyero Tiggular?"

"Yes," Elphaba responded stiffly. _Where was this going? And where the hell did Cheftin hear about this anyhow?_

"And isn't it true that Mr. Tiggular and Snape were found fighting shortly after you ended your romantic relationship with the former?" Cheftin shot.

"Yes, it's true. But what does this have to do with anything?"

"Well, it appears that Mr. Tiggular seemed to have thought there was something between you and Snape which ended your relationship with Mr. Tiggular," the lawyer said triumphantly.

"Objection. Rumor and speculation!" Mr. Brimble cried a little too dramatically.

"Sustained," Judge Gibbs said, although he _finally_ appeared interested by what was going on now.

"I'll rephrase the question, Your Honor," Mr. Cheftin said cordially. "Miss Thropp, did Mr. Tiggular suspect that there was a romantic connection between you and Snape?"

Elphaba sighed. She wanted to put that all in the past, but no, it looked like she couldn't. "Yes."

"And why do you suppose he thought that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know! He blew a little thing out of proportion!" Elphaba felt ready to scream.

"Wait, I thought you said there was nothing between you and Snape—so what could he have blown out of proportion?"

_Merlin, talk about trying to make me stumble! _"There is nothing between Snape and I, other than our friendship! It's a strictly platonic relationship, I said that already!" Elphaba tried to keep her voice steady.

"And the fact that you have been frequently observed visiting the Hogwarts dungeons at night, where Professor Snape's room is located, are those just platonic visits?" Cheftin smirked.

"Objection!" Mr. Brimble had to practically scream over the chaos of the court.

"What are you talking about?" Elphaba tried to respond, but she couldn't be heard over all the gossip and shocked gasps moving around the courtroom. She had never visited Snape's rooms at night (except on the night of the Welcoming Feast), so what was that lawyer taking about? Now, Elphaba _really_ wanted to scream, but Mr. Cheftin merely smiled and with, "No more questions, Your Honor," returned to his seat.

Elphaba returned to her seat as well, feeling humiliated even though she knew that she had done nothing wrong. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the jury looking at her with disapproving stares. And Elphaba had a weird feeling that she might have just doomed Snape.

* * *

After the lunch break—which Elphaba spent attempting to avoid anyone who'd given her a suspicious look in the courtroom—everyone returned to their seats and the trial resumed.

"I call Severus Snape to the stand," little Mr. Brimble stated in his obnoxiously meek voice.

Snape came forward, looking dejected. Elphaba desperately wanted to reassure him that everything would be fine, that he would get off, but now was not the time. Nor did it really look like Snape would be found innocent.

"So, Snape, is it true that you are a Death Eater?"

"Yes, it is true."

"But is it also true that you are only a Death Eater so that you can spy on the Dark Lord and report your findings back to Albus Dumbledore?" Brimble elaborated.

"Yes, that is also true."

"And would you have any reason to lie to Dumbledore?"

"No, I would have no reason to lie, nor would I do so." Snape's face remained as cool and unreadable as a stone.

"One last question, do you have a romantic relationship with Elphaba Thropp?"

"No," Snape said. "We are good friends, and that is all."

"Thank you, no further questions." Mr. Brimble stumbled as he sat down again. _Poor Snape, having such an idiot for your lawyer!_ Elphaba thought.

Everyone watched as Mr. Cheftin stood up, glancing at the papers at his desk before looking up at Snape. "How long have you been a member of the Order, Snape?"

"For twenty-eight years, Mr. Cheftin," Snape replied coldly.

Mr. Cheftin seemed to consider this answer for a moment, then came out from behind the desk and started slowly walking towards Snape. "And how long have you been a Death Eater?"

"I was admitted into the ranks of the Death Eaters almost thirty years before; however, I have long since renounced the Dark Lord and his views," Snape said eloquently.

"Is it possible that someone who is both a member of the Order and a Death Eater could be spying for both sides?" Cheftin mused out loud, deliberately baiting the defendant.

For the first time in his trial, Snape showed signs of emotion. "That'd be a preposterous situation!"

"Really? Because that's what I'm getting the feeling you've been doing," Cheftin stated.

"Objection! Opinion!" Brimble squeaked in a high voice.

"Sustained," Gibbs tried to hide a yawn.

"Just one more question, Your Honor," Mr. Cheftin said to Judge Gibbs. "Snape, how long have you been the Potions Master at Hogwarts?"

"This is my twenty-first year teaching."

"And, hypothetically speaking, if a Death Eater were teaching children—young, impressionable children—what do you think his punishment should be?"

Snape's face turned stony and cold again. "I wouldn't know; I'm not a lawyer."

"Good answer, Snape, good answer. Thank you, no more questions."

Snape stepped down and was led back to his seat. Meanwhile, Judge Gibbs asked, "Are there any more witnesses for the defense?"

Mr. Brimble stood up for a moment, "No, Your Honor. The defense rests."

"Well, then, Mr. Cheftin, call forth your first witness."

Elphaba didn't like the arrogant expression on Mr. Cheftin's face when he replied, "With pleasure, your Honor. I call to the stand Mr. Ronald Weasley."

And Elphaba didn't like the expression on Dumbledore's face when he saw Ron take the stand, nor the expression on Harry's face upon seeing his best friend take the stand against Snape. But she hated the expression on Ron Weasley's face most of all. She glared at the red-haired Order member, clenching her fists by her side.

"Mr. Weasley, is it true you were captured by Death Eaters on the night of February 4, 2003?" Cheftin began.

"Yes, sir. I was," Ron answered. Elphaba shot Harry a questioning look; she had arrived in England a few months after that.

"And is it also true that you were tortured by a few Death Eaters, one of whom was Severus Snape, in an attempt to get information for You-Know-Who?" Cheftin smirked as he finally was able to play his trump card.

"Yes, Mr. Chieftin," Ron nodded.

"Thank you, Weasley. No more questions, Your Honor," Cheftin stepped back and Ron returned to his seat.

Mr. Brimble got up hastily, dropping some of his papers in his rush. He picked them up as he moved forward towards Ron. "Mr. Weasley," he said, once he collected all of his paperwork from the ground, "is it true that you were a pupil of the defendant, Severus Snape, for seven years?"

"Yes, sir." Ron inclined his head slightly in agreement.

"What was your opinion of the defendant as a teenager, when he was your teacher?"

"I hated him. He was hardest on Harry and I—he disliked Gryffindors for no reason. He would take points off Gryffindor house for the smallest things and displayed obvious favoritism towards Slytherin. He was cold and heartless."

Snape didn't mask the hurt expression which crossed his face. To know that people hated him was one thing, but to hear it being said to the general public was quite another.

"Is it possible that what you said earlier today could have stemmed from a childhood dislike of the defendant?" Brimble asked.

"Objection," Mr. Cheftin said.

"Sustained," the judge agreed.

"No more questions, Your Honor," Brimble finished.

"Finally, I would like to call up my last witness, Lucius Malfoy," Cheftin stepped forward again. The blonde Death Eater almost glided to the stand and took a seat.

"Mr. Malfoy, you were at the Ministry of Magic the night of April 5, 2005, correct?" Cheftin asked.

"Yes, I had stayed late to finish up some paperwork that the Minister required the next morning," Malfoy answered in his usual, drawling voice.

"Could you describe for the jury what happened on the night of April 5, 2005?" Cheftin prompted.

"Gladly, Mr. Cheftin," Malfoy smiled coldly. "As I previously mentioned, I was finishing paperwork for the Minister when I heard a commotion on the ground floor of the Ministry. Naturally curious, I rushed downstairs, where I saw that the Dark Lord was attacking with a group of Death Eaters, one of which happened to be Severus Snape."

Elphaba snorted. _More likely, he _was_ one of the Death Eaters_, she thought.

"No more questions, Your Honor."

Mr. Brimble walked towards the silent witness. It would have been a lot more impressive if he hadn't tripped over his feet in the middle. "Mr. Malfoy, how would you have managed to identify Snape? Don't Death Eaters normally wear masks when going on raids?"

"Yes, sir," Malfoy sneered. "However, Snape was hit by a spell and his mask fell off, enabling me to see his identity.

"And if this is true," Brimble wondered. "Why did you wait until now to report that Snape is a Death Eater? Why didn't you report him three years ago?"

Malfoy was thrown for a moment. He recovered quickly and replied smoothly, "Well, I wasn't sure if it _was_ Snape and I didn't want to randomly accuse him if he wasn't. However, with the recent accusation, I realized that my eyes hadn't fooled me, and I stepped forward with the evidence that I collected three years ago."

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," Brimble said. "No further questions, Your Honor."

Daniel Gibbs stood up. "If that is all, then, the jury will collect inside this room for a discussion and a vote," he announced before turning around and watching the jury head into the room behind the judge's desk.

As soon as the jury left the courtroom, chatter began among the occupants of Courtroom #4. Elphaba and Harry walked towards Snape, while Dumbledore went over to where Ron was sitting.

"Thank you Fae…Potter," Snape said quietly, still staring at where Gibbs was sitting.

"You're welcome, Snape," Harry answered. "Even if you can be a right bastard at times, well, you still don't deserve to be condemned for something you didn't do."

Before Elphaba said anything, Dumbledore walked over to them, anger evident in his ancient face. "Mr. Weasley has proved that he is not mature enough to stay in the Order," he said to the other three Order members. "By letting a childhood grudge prevail over his common sense, he may very well have destroyed what we have been working for. Because of this, Mr. Weasley is now no longer a major Order member, although he will still be in the general Order."

"But Dumbledore-" Harry began, but stopped as he saw the murderous look on Elphaba's face.

An hour passed, then two. Elphaba began to pace, something that she did often when she was worried. _What was taking them so long? _she wondered. Harry tried to get her to sit down, but she shrugged his hand off her shoulder and resumed her pacing.

"Fae, please, sit down," Dumbledore finally said. "You're making all of us even more nervous."

"Sorry, Albus," Elphaba replied, sitting, but still fidgeting. Just as she said this, the door opened, and the jury filed in.

"Has the jury come to a decision yet?" Gibbs asked once the whole jury was re-seated.

"We have, sir," a man answered.

"And what is your verdict?" Gibbs asked.

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Severus Snape," the speaker paused, "innocent!"

There was a silence and then an instant uproar in the courtroom. Snape walked towards Dumbledore, Harry, and Elphaba, who could swear that she saw a hint of a tear in Snape's eyes. Although, if she ever asked him, he would deny it, of course. _Finally, _she though. _A triumph for us at last. _

**Aren't you proud of me? A long chapter _and _no cliffhanger this time…**

**Coming up: An accidental confession and slash. **

**Okay, I need your opinion on something: What do you think would be Elphaba's (or Glinda's, I suppose) biggest fear and/or worst memory? I have some ideas, but I want to see what you guys think. Thanks.**

**-Wolfie**


	11. I Loved You Once In Silence

**The title for chapter ten is from…Chicago. I need to find harder musicals to get my titles from…Congrats to Darktaurus, wickedndrentrock, thedivinemissk, Easterly Winds, CardboardCreative, Krumnut, and wickedgreenchild.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

**Meh. Not sure how I did with the whole describing Elphaba's/Glinda's emotions. Oh well. Hope it works out.**

**I was going to update this tomorow, but since I had a snow day today, I decided, "oh well, I have nothing better to do..." Enjoy.**

**Thanks to Mara, who wrote some parts and beta-ed others. **

_Chapter 11: I Loved You Once in Silence_

"-and then, I noticed that- Elphaba, are you even listening?" Fiyero and some of the other major Order members were currently in an informal Order meeting. Having returned to Hogwarts a few days before, Fiyero was attempting to give a report to Dumbledore and some other members. Attempting being the key word.

Elphaba was currently staring at Glinda (who was sitting right beside Fiyero) and lost in her own thoughts. She supposed that Glinda and Fiyero would get back together again; after all, they had previously dated. Although she tried to tell herself that she didn't care, that it didn't matter to her as long as Glinda was happy, a small, but possessive part of her asserted that Glinda was hers and hers alone. Still, a dream was all it was. There was no way in Oz that-

"Hey Fae," Harry leaned over to the green woman when he noticed that she was still spacing out, "Hermione is carrying Snape's child."

"Oh. That's nice," Elphaba murmured. Then, what Harry had actually said hit her full force and she suddenly yelled (attracting the attention of the other people in the room), "Wait! WHAT?"

Harry began to laugh. "_Now_ we've got your attention."

Elphaba paused as a plan of revenge came to her. "But shall I tell the previously mentioned parties _how_ that was done?" Before Harry could answer, she turned to Snape. "Snape, you never told me that-mph!"

Harry clapped a hand over Elphaba's mouth and shot her a warning look. "I don't want to be used as Snape's next potion's ingredient, thank you very much," he hissed.

"Oh, Fae, do tell me what idiotic scheme Potter has come up with now," Snape said silkily. Although Harry and Snape had put aside their hatred for each other at the trial, it seemed to have come back even stronger than before.

Luckily for Harry, he was saved by Dumbledore calling the attention of all the members back to the meeting. Once Fiyero was talking again, Harry whispered to Elphaba, "You still love him, don't you?"

"What? Who?" Elphaba asked, not looking at the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Fiyero. Face it, Fae. Your staring is a bit obvious. Look, if you want him back so badly, why don't you talk to him and work out whatever your problem is?" Harry asked.

"Harry," Elphaba tore her eyes away from Glinda, "it's not that. I don't want Fiyero back." Harry raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I do, but not as a lover. Just as a friend."

"Uh huh," Harry nodded, unconvinced. "And…that's why you've spent this whole meeting spacing out and watching his every move." Elphaba didn't answer. After all, she couldn't say that she was watching _Glinda_. "Just…talk to him. You're both too stubborn for your own good. Perhaps all that you and Fiyero need is to have a long discussion."

_Yeah,_ Elphaba thought sarcastically. _A long discussion on why I broke up with him because I was in love with his ex-girlfriend, who _he_ dumped for _me However, she just sighed and looked again at Glinda. "Perhaps," she muttered, if only to get Harry off her case.

* * *

After the meeting was over, Harry rushed over to Glinda before she had a chance to leave the premises. He had decided to take things in his own hand. "Hi…Glinda, right?" he asked, stopping the blonde from following Fiyero and Elphaba.

"Yes," she replied. "You're…Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Listen, are you willing to help me get Fiyero and Fae back together?"

"Of course," Glinda said, a sinking feeling in her gut. "H-how do you know that they want to be back together?"

"Well, I don't know about Fiyero," Harry stopped and smirked, "but I caught our dear Fae staring at Fiyero the whole meeting. She still loves him, I can tell."

"Well, what about Snape?" Glinda asked, although she felt that someone had punched her.

"What about him?" Harry was surprised. "He's an evil git, that's what."

"I mean, doesn't Elphie love Snape? That's why she and Fiyero broke up in the first place. Or at least, that's what I heard," Glinda told Harry.

Harry, however, was shaking his head. "No, definitely not. I know for a fact that there is nothing going on between the two of them. Thankfully." He grinned.

"Alright, then," Glinda agreed. "I'll help." _If only to make Elphie happy_, she added silently.

"You know what to do, right?" Harry tried to make sure. "If only I could get you some Veriteserum to slip in their drinks-"

"Verite-what?" Glinda looked at her partner-in-crime suspiciously.

"Veriteserum. Really strong truth potion," Harry said dismissively. "Unfortunately, it's illegal without proper Ministry supervision. And I don't really want to invoke Snape's wrath by stealing from his stores right now. I suppose you could just do it the old fashioned way."

"Old fashioned way?" Glinda frowned.

"Lock them in a closet or something until they fight it out," Harry elaborated. "I suppose that'll have to do then. Tell Fae that you want to talk to her and lock her in somewhere with Fiyero." He paused as Elphaba came back into the room.

"Glinda, are you coming?" she asked. "I'm waiting for you, you know."

Glinda's heart soared for a moment before she realized that it was probably just friendship that prompted Elphaba to wait for her. "I'm coming," she huffed. "Honestly, Elphie, can't you wait for a moment?"

Harry caught Glinda's arm as she passed him. "Remember," he whispered, before turning and leaving through the fireplace.

* * *

"Elphie!" Glinda called several days after her meeting with Harry. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah?" Elphaba turned around. She had just finished something in her classroom, and she was about to go back to her rooms.

"Come in here," Glinda pulled Elphaba back into the Dueling classroom. Once Elphaba was inside, Glinda closed the door, locked it behind her, and stood guard in front of it incase Elphaba tried to escape.

"What the-" Elphaba gave Glinda a suspicious look. "What is going on, Glinda? Why do you need to be so secretive?" She looked over to the far side of the classroom and saw a figure. Fiyero.

She turned and glared at Glinda. "If you're trying to set me up with-"

"No, you listen, Elphaba. I am sick of your awkwardness around each other. You and Fiyero are going to stay in here and talk it out, fight it out, whatever you want, but I am _not_ going to let you two out until you have solved your problems." Glinda crossed her arms in front and leaned on the door.

"I-oh fine," Elphaba sent another glare in Glinda's direction before walking towards her ex-boyfriend.

"Hello, Elphaba," Fiyero said as he saw her approach. "How have you been?"

"Fine," Elphaba replied. "And you?"

"Good enough, considering." There was an awkward silence. Then, Fiyero asked the inevitable question. "Why?"

"Why…_what_?" Elphaba sat down on one of the desks.

Fiyero looked away for a moment. "Was I not good enough for you? After everything we've been through-" He stopped, then burst out, "What does Snape have that I don't, Elphaba? Why do you love him?"

Elphaba was speechless. "I-I don't. I told you already, Fiyero. Snape and I have _nothing going on_ between us! We're friends and that's all. What proof do you have that I'm having an affair with Snape? Tell me that!"

Fiyero paused. "You broke up with me for Snape. Isn't that proof enough for you?" he snapped.

"Where in the break-up process did I say 'I'm breaking up with you for Snape?'" Elphaba yelled back, exasperated. "_You_ assumed that. I just told you that there was someone else that I liked and you flew off the handle."

"Well, it definitely looks like it," Fiyero said, although not as forcefully. "After all, you go down to visit Snape's rooms at night. And don't try to deny it, Elphaba. I saw you, the night of the Welcoming Feast."

"The Welcoming Feast, Fiyero? I was picking up a potion from Snape, not going to his rooms," Elphaba explained. "And I haven't been visiting his rooms at night since! Look, Fiyero, I don't know where you got this idea of Snape and I together, but _it's not true!_"

"Well, from the way you're so vehemently denying it, what else can I assume?"

Elphaba wanted to strangle Fiyero. "You could assume that I'm denying it because it ISN'T TRUE!" she yelled.

Glinda looked down at her feet. This was _so_ not going as planned. She took a step forward to butt in before the ex-couple literally attacked each other, but then stopped. She shouldn't interfere.

"You're the one who just said that you broke up with me because you loved someone else, and your _oh-so-friendly_ behavior with Snape speaks for itself!"

"For Merlin's sake, Fiyero, we're only friends! And here's a newsflash for you: I can't be in love with Snape."

"And why not?" Fiyero shot back.

"Hmm..perhaps because I'm in love with Glin--" Elphaba stopped. _Oh Merlin_, she thought. _I did _not_ just say that aloud._

Glinda blinked. She could have sworn that Elphaba just said that she was in love with her. Gosh, talk about wishful thinking. She looked at Elphaba, whose face had turned a shade of pale green. Elphaba stared at Fiyero for a moment, her eyes wide, before glancing at Glinda. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it. She opened her mouth again—"I have to go," she said.

Glinda took a step forward. Sweet Lurline, Elphaba really _had_ just said she was in love with her! "Wait, Elphie!" Glinda called, but Elphaba ran towards the door, pulling out her wand and muttering a spell to unlock the door before running out of the room.

Fiyero stared at his green ex-girlfriend's fleeing figure in shock. "Well, that was—different," he finally said after half a minute of awkward silence.

The good witch beside him nodded. "Yeah," she said breathlessly before stumbling forward. "Excuse me, I have to—ELPHIE!" She cried as she raced into the hallway, attempting to follow the woman who had ran through there nearly a minute ago.

* * *

Elphaba ran as fast as she could away from the Dueling classroom. She couldn't believe that she could have been so _stupid_. Why had she opened her mouth and confessed her secret crush on Glinda _in front of Glinda_? That's exactly what it was, a _secret_ crush. Which was no longer such a secret now.

Elphaba had no idea where she was going. She just knew that she wanted to get as far from Glinda as she could. Luckily, it was a Hogsmead weekend, and thus, most of the students were at Hogsmead. Elphaba had free reign of the castle and could go wherever she wanted. Her rooms? No, Glinda knew her password. The library? Too close to her classroom. She realized that by now, she had reached the front doors of Hogwarts.

Without stopping to think, she tore out of the castle and then slowed down. By the next moment, she had transformed and if someone were to peer out of a window in Hogwarts, they would see a black panther strolling around the grounds.

It was easier to deal with her tumultuous emotions as an animal. The feelings that were swirling around inside her were lessened slightly in the mind of her animagus form. After all, all an animal had was its instinct, and all Elphaba had to do was to let the panther's mind take over. Its needs were simple: food, water, and shelter. Much easier to deal with than what she was feeling right now.

Glinda would hate her now. That much, Elphaba was sure of. There was no way that she could face Glinda, not with what had just transpired. At least not right away. Should she try to pretend that it had never happened? Or try to apologize and hope for the best?

Well, either way, Elphaba didn't want to decide right now. Either way, she was going to have her heart broken. In any case, there was no way that Glinda would return her feelings. Her best hope was that Glinda wasn't too disgusted at how Elphaba felt about her. Elphaba didn't think that she would be able to stand rejection coming from the blonde. Although, with her luck so far, it looked _very_ possible that exactly that might happen.

Elphaba loped off into the Forbidden Forest. Right now, her mind (or at least, the panther's mind) was debating whether to fight or flee, and the 'running away' option was winning out. She would come back in a few hours. Hopefully, that would give Glinda sufficient time to calm down and give herself time to sort through the multiple emotions that she was feeling right now.

* * *

Glinda growled in frustration as she chanced upon yet another empty nook. _Where was Elphaba?_ Of course, seeing that Elphaba had lived in this castle for five years whereas Glinda had only been here for a little over three months turned the tables greatly in the favor of Elphaba. There probably were places that Elphaba could go to that Glinda had never even heard about, for Lurline's sake.

She had already checked Elphaba's rooms, the library, the Astronomy Tower, and several other places that she guessed that Elphaba might be, but to no avail. She needed to find Elphaba before she did something rash. Although, hopefully, Elphaba would have enough common sense to talk to Glinda first.

When she heard that Elphaba was _really, actually_ in love with her, Glinda had been shocked at first. She felt that this wasn't true, _couldn't_ be true. So many good things had happened lately- first, finding out that Elphaba was actually alive, then finding out that her secret crush really liked her back- that Glinda couldn't help but feel that something bad was going to happen soon. After all, all these happenings were…too wonderful.

However, until that point in time, Glinda was determined to bask in the enjoyment of these wondrous things. And to do that, she would have to begin with finding Elphaba, wherever she was. Although…that might be easier said than done.

She turned around as she heard someone coming up behind her. Perhaps this person might have seen Elphaba. The castle was suspiciously deserted today- although Elphaba had mentioned something about a 'Hog's Mead weekend'- and Glinda had not been able to find anyone to help her in her search for the green witch.

"Glinda!" Harry said in surprise when he saw her. "What are you doing here? This is generally not a place that many people go to."

"I'm looking for Elphie," Glinda explained. "Have you seen her?"

"Fae? No, sorry, I haven't," Harry replied apologetically. "So…did you do it yet? Set them up?"

"Er…I tried to, but…something happened and Elphie's disappeared. So right now, I'm trying to find her and sort out this…misunderstanding." Glinda peeked around the corner, hoping that Elphaba would magically appear there.

"Oh. Alright. Well, I know that Fae likes to be outside a lot. Have you checked the Hogwarts's grounds yet?"

"No. I'll go do that, then." Glinda turned to go. "Thanks.

* * *

The next few days were pure torture for Elphaba. She had decided to deal with this new problem the way she best knew how: To avoid it, meaning to avoid Glinda. Anything was better than hearing for herself the rejection she knew for sure was coming. However, this didn't make her task any easier.

She had to go out of her way to avoid the blonde, meaning that she had to take her meals in the kitchen (which Glinda didn't know about), change her password to her rooms, and take roundabout ways to get to her classroom. Seeing that Glinda still didn't know about her animagus form, Elphaba had also taken to wandering around the school and its grounds as a panther.

Just seeing Glinda for a few moment hurt more than she though possible, and Elphaba desperately wanted to run up to her friend and beg for forgiveness. Nevertheless, she kept up her resolve and would skirt around the corner, keeping out of Glinda's sight.

Unknown to Elphaba, though, Glinda, felt just as bad as Elphaba did. She wasn't sure why Elphaba was avoiding her, but knew that Elphaba disappeared before they could talk every time Glinda _did_ see her. She had a suspicion that Elphaba was afraid that Glinda would be angry, disgusted, or something of that nature, but if they couldn't talk, how was she to explain to Elphaba that she _wasn't_ mad, that she actually felt the same way?

She had talked to Fiyero about this a few times, who strangely, after knowing that Elphaba wasn't actually cheating on him with Snape, was willing to re-establish a friendship with her again. He was basically still trying to wrap his mind around the whole concept that his ex-girlfriend (the green one) dumped him for his other ex-girlfriend. Apparently, he wasn't as good with girls as he thought he was.

Either way, Fiyero knew how Glinda felt about this whole situation, and he resolved to help fix this misunderstanding. Since _he_ had lived in Hogwarts for the same amount of time as Elphaba (bar the times he was on missions), he knew where Elphaba could and would be most of the time.

Therefore, one day, he caught her just as she was going to the kitchens. "Elphaba, wait!"

"Fiyero," Elphaba said coldly.

"Elphaba, listen. I-I'm really sorry about that whole Snape issue. You were right, I didn't think, and-" Fiyero began.

"So, now you know the truth," Elphaba interrupted. "You know why I broke up with you. And _now_, you apologize."

Fiyero sighed. This wasn't why he had wanted to talk to her, though. He had to get her to Glinda before she escaped again. "I'm sorry," he said again, then paused. "Elphaba, do you want to talk? In my rooms?"

"I-" Elphaba frowned hesitantly.

"Please," Fiyero implored.

"Fine. Lead the way." Fiyero grinned at this victory and dragged a half-resisting Elphaba to his rooms, where he knew Glinda was. After all, he was the one that had told her to wait there (due to something that he "had forgotten to do").

After they had reached his rooms, Fiyero said the password and opened the portrait. He then pushed Elphaba inside and told the portrait in a whisper not to let the green witch out until he allowed it.

Elphaba looked around the room suspiciously. _What in Merlin's name was going on with all this secrecy?_ she thought. Then, she saw someone, who looked just as surprised to see Elphaba as Elphaba was to see her, sitting at the other end of the room. "Glinda," Elphaba said in partial panic and partial shock. She turned and sent a fierce glare to Fiyero. He was so dead.

**Coming up: Apologies and a kiss (finally…)**

**As Mara says, I'm back to my tradition of cliff-hangers. I'm so evil…erm, I mean…WICKED!**

**-Wolfie**


	12. Those Magic Changes

**The title for chapter eleven is from…Camelot. Congrats to Easterly Winds, Wickedgreenchild, CardboardCreative, Miss Elphie, and Krumnut.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

**Since I've been tortured all of my characters/readers for so long, I've decided to give you a whole chapter of fluff. Wolfie pukes. **

**As you can see, I don't particularly enjoy fluff that much- I'd much rather continue being sadistic. However, you all deserve it for putting up with me, so…enjoy.**

**The marvelous Mara wrote the kissing part of this chapter. In exchange for a copy of the songs from Little Women (the musical). Although this chapter is also un-beta-ed.**

_Chapter 11: Those Magic Changes_

Fiyero sighed, but didn't cower from Elphaba's glare. "Listen, you've been avoiding Glinda all week and it's been really annoying to everyone at Hogwarts—all the professors know you're avoiding her. And the students probably know, too. And it's rude to Glinda. So I think you two should talk this out."

Elphaba didn't look at the beautiful blonde standing about 10 feet behind her. "And what right do_ you _have to meddle in my affairs?" she muttered threateningly.

But instead of answering, Fiyero grabbed his green ex-girlfriend by the shoulders, turned her around, and gave her a forceful shove towards Glinda.

Elphaba stumbled forward and might have fallen flat on her face if Glinda hadn't caught her. As soon as Elphaba had been righted, she shrugged off Glinda's assisting hand. She was surprised that Glinda had actually helped her. Maybe Glinda wasn't mad or disgusted with her…

Although the green witch was certainly mad and disgusted with Fiyero. She turned around to yell at him for pushing her like that (she could have broken her nose, he'd shoved her so hard!) but in the commotion he had exited the room, leaving the two girls inside.

And as Elphaba looked at the door, she heard the sound of a lock clicking shut.

Great. Elphaba and Glinda were now locked in a room together. Both were madly in love with each other, but only one was aware of this fact.

The one who was not aware that the feeling was mutual hastily started to talk.

"Look, Glinda, I'm sorry. I…didn't mean to say that. It just—well," Elphaba tried to explain as she looked down her shoes. Which really weren't that fascinating, but she was scared of meeting Glinda's gaze. "And I'm sorry. Really, it just slipped out."

"Elphie."

Oblivious, Elphaba kept apologizing. "And Fiyero's right, it was mean of me to avoid you all this time, but I was afraid that you would be disgusted—"

"Elphie."

"—with me and that you were just trying to catch me to tell me how much you hated me or something—"

"ELPHIE!!!" Glinda screamed.

The green witch finally noticed and looked up at Glinda with eyes wide with shock. She couldn't recall the last time she'd heard Glinda yell.

"For Lurline's sake, would you _stop apologizing_ and listen to me?" Glinda demanded. Noticing that she had definitely grabbed Elphaba's attention, she took a deep breath. "Okay, going back to the beginning. I, too, have a short apology to make. I shouldn't have been following you like that; I should have realized that you probably want your space. But now that we have apologized for our behavior the last week, I need to ask you something."

_Oh, Merlin_, Elphie panicked. _Here it comes. She's going to ask me if it's true…_

"Is it true?" Glinda asked, her voice tiny and quiet—and sincere.

Elphie looked down at her _oh-so-fascinating_ footwear. She bit her lip. _What should I say?_ And the answer that her brain gave her was, '_Just tell her the truth and apologize if you've hurt her feelings and ask if you two can still be friends.' _The green witch took a short, almost gasping but at the same time completely silent breath. "Yes," she said softly.

She could hear Glinda's sharp intake of breath. _Oh, Merlin, what had she done?_

"I'm sorry, I wish it weren't true and if I've offended you, then I apologize. I really want to still be frie—"

However, Elphaba never got to finish her word. This was because Glinda had suddenly stood up on her tiptoes—quite an accomplishment with the high heels she was wearing—leaned forward, thrown her arms around Elphaba's neck, and kissed her right on the mouth.

Elphaba had multiple reactions to this event. The first was the physical reaction of her left hand suddenly flying up, almost as if to push Glinda away, but Elphaba stopped herself in time. Her brain told her two things, the first being that Glinda's kiss tasted as sweet as a ripe peach that's in season and the second being—_WHAT IS GOING ON?_

This kiss was too wonderful to ruin, however, by giving any sort of answer to the question posed by her brain right then. So instead, Elphaba relaxed into the kiss a little. Glinda was a good kisser. No wonder the boys went after her like crazy.

Thinking about boys, though, destroyed the moment. Glinda liked boys, not girls. And certainly not Elphaba. This was insane.

Pulling away was difficult, but Elphaba needed to talk now, not kiss.

"Whoa, what just happened?" Elphaba asked, although she obviously knew the answer. "Why—what—when…" she kept making false starts, unable to finish her questions.

"That was called a kiss, Elphaba. Surely you've participated in one before," Glinda said. She had no idea why she was able to joke at a time like this. What if Elphaba had meant love in a strictly platonic way and she just hated to admit that she loved anyone in any way? She must think Glinda was a perverted creep of a friend…

"What I meant was—you like boys! You ought to be with someone like Fiyero! What are you doing kissing me, the ugly green witch who—"

"Of course I like boys, Elphaba. But that doesn't mean I can't like girls," Glinda said with such frank honesty, it would have scared Elphaba. That is, it would have scared her if fireworks hadn't been going off insider of her as she realized what this might mean.

"Do you mean to say, that you…love me? In a romantic way?"

Glinda took a breath. She could have sworn she hadn't taken a breath since before she'd kissed Elphaba. "Why else do you think it hurt so much when I'd thought you'd died? I've loved you for years, Elphaba! I've been completely and utterly in love with you since the moment you defied the Wizard and flew off on your broomstick to Lurline-knows-where! And ever since then, I've been hating myself for not joining you and—"

"Glinda, shut up," Elphaba said in the most loving way possible. The blonde fell silent.

"So, are you telling me that all this time when I've been stressing about your negative reaction to my confession of love for you, you've actually just been trying to catch me so you could tell me you love me, too?"

Her blonde curls bouncing, Glinda nodded. "Pretty much," she responded before once again throwing her arms around Elphaba and kissing her passionately.

This time, Elphaba was much more receptive. Both girls were sure that someone would pinch them and they'd wake up, that this was all a dream. But this kiss felt so real—and so good. Glinda was surprised: who knew Elphaba was such a good kisser? Why hadn't she found this out before?

Elphaba's hand was unconsciously making its way from Glinda's hip north towards her chest when Elphie suddenly realized that their relationship would never work.

Once again, Elphaba broke off the kiss. "Wait," she said. Her voice sounded ragged and hoarse from having not breathed for the past five minutes (or so it seemed). It'd been a long kiss. "I…can't."

"Why not?" Glinda demanded. She hadn't unwrapped her arms from Elphaba's neck, and was in fact refusing to do so until Elphaba admitted that the two of them had to be together forever and ever and resumed kissing her.

"This will never work," Elphaba said. "It'll never work because as a member of the Order, my life is at risk. Voldemort would do anything to hurt the Order, and he will do that anyway he can. And that includes hurting the people I love. I don't want you to get hurt, Glinda."

Inside, the blonde's heart was melting with love. That speech of Elphaba's was almost surreal. Before responding to Elphaba, Glinda pinched herself on the arm to make sure this was real.

Judging from how much her arm hurt from the quick encounter with her perfectly done nails, this was real.

"Elphaba, why would Voldemort want to single out you? And if he wanted to hurt you, I would rather that he hurt me first."

Even still, Elphaba couldn't shake the feeling that she was putting Glinda in danger. "Glinda, I'm serious. He could hurt you so badly—"

"No, he won't," the blonde witch replied assertively. "I've learned how to read the Grimmerie, Elphie. Well, mostly. But…I can still kick his butt."

And even though Elphaba still felt a little worried about Glinda's safety, the humor of her statement and the entire situation won her over. The two girls embraced and began to passionately kiss each other. Somehow Elphaba's cloak fell off and her shirt was being unbuttoned…she wasn't really paying enough attention to notice what was going on. She was just kissing Glinda with all of the love in her heart, and Glinda was doing the same. And after over eight years of love, Glinda was kissing Elphaba with a lot of passion.

In the heat of their kissing, both were caught completely off-guard when the door suddenly opened to reveal a very surprised Fiyero. He had come in to make sure that Glinda and Elphaba hadn't killed each other, but was shocked at the scene playing out in front of his very eyes. After all, it isn't everyday that one sees his ex-girlfriends passionately kissing, one clad only in lingerie (when Glinda's dress had come off was a mystery) and the other wearing only a black lacy bra (_when did she buy that?_ Fiyero wondered) and a pair of pants.

"Oh." Fiyero said lamely, his cheeks turning bright red. "Um, please excuse me." Then he turned around and closed the portrait behind him. Then, he did a double take and opened the portrait again. "Wait a minute. No. No. Get out. I'm glad for both of you, but…get out! These are _my _rooms! Get out!"

Elphaba and Glinda had stopped kissing long enough to look at each other. They suddenly realized their dramatic states of undress—and they laughed. They laughed at each other, with each other, and for each other and the hilarity of what had just happened.

Neither laughed for very long, however, because Fiyero stormed over, threw their various articles of clothing at them, forced them to put their clothes back on, and kicked them out of his room.

What happened next in Elphaba's room is nobody's business but Elphaba's and Glinda's. Use your imagination.

* * *

The next few days brought nothing to Hogwarts but snow. Lots and lots of snow. The white powder drifted down from the grey skies and covered all traces of life on the Hogwarts grounds. The lake iced over and even the Whomping Willow was uncommonly calm. And with the snow came the Christmas season.

Elphaba was in the Owlery when a note came from Ron, inviting her to a Christmas celebration at the Weasley's house. _Although Harry or Hermione probably made Ron invite me,_ Elphaba thought, amused. She was aware that Ron really didn't like her, and after the trial, the feeling was mutual. Still, she would go, because she knew Harry would drag her over to the house if she didn't.

Seeing as Elphaba never really celebrated anything related to religion in Oz, one would think that Elphaba would also not take part in Christmas celebrations in England. However, she did, or at least, she joined in (reluctantly) with the whole gift-exchanging part. Having the Boy-Who-Lived promising to hex her if she didn't celebrate with them generally made her comply with his wishes.

Elphaba shivered as a gust of cold air blew into the tower, and she pulled her cloak closer to her. Perhaps she should get back to the castle before she caught a cold. Glinda would be in her rooms, waiting for her.

Glinda. The thought of her girlfriend made Elphaba smile slightly. She still couldn't believe that it was her that Glinda had chosen. It was her that Glinda was in love with. Her, the green-skinned oddity in Oz (and England). The Wicked Witch of the West.

After their…intimacy that day in Elphaba's rooms, she and Glinda had sat down to have a serious discussion on their newly formed relationship and what it meant for them. Elphaba was adamant on not letting Glinda get hurt because of their love, but Glinda kept asserting that she wished to be with Elphaba no matter the danger. Finally, Elphaba came up with a temporary solution that seemed to appease both witches.

The solution was thus: On the outside, meaning in public, they would pretend to remain close friends. However, at night, or at least when they were alone, they were free to explore their relationship, at least until Voldemort was vanquished. Although neither Elphaba or Glinda were very satisfied with this solution, it was the best thing they could come up with, short of not having a relationship at all.

In spite of all the hypothetical situations involving Voldemort that they had discussed, though, Elphaba knew that he would never get close enough to Glinda to use her and get to Elphaba. Or at least she hoped. There were multiple wards protecting Hogwarts, and as far as she knew, Glinda didn't seem like the type to go out and fight in a battle. So…how would Voldemort even manage to attack Glinda?

_Perhaps I'm just being paranoid, _Elphaba thought. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen to Glinda. Hoping that these thoughts would go away after time, Elphaba hurried the rest of the way back across the Hogwarts ground, into the castle…and almost ran right into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elphaba exclaimed. "I wasn't watching where I was going and- Glinda?"

"Hello to you too, Elphie," Glinda laughed.

"I thought you said you were going to wait for me in my rooms," Elphaba said, frowning slightly.

"You took too long," Glinda mock-complained, "so I decided to look for you instead." She slipped past Elphaba to look at the snow covering the school grounds. "Wow," she exclaimed. "There never was this much snow in Oz before."

Elphaba smiled at Glinda's child-like excitement. "We could go out if you want," she suggested. "Although it might be colder than what you're used to."

"That's okay, Elphie," Glinda pulled Elphaba out with her. "Come on!" Shaking her head in an amused sort of exasperation, Elphaba followed her girlfriend out into the winter wonderland that was covering Hogwarts.

"It's beautiful out here," Glinda said as she and Elphaba walked around the frozen lake.

"Isn't it?" Elphaba replied, slightly distracted. This type of peacefulness always unnerved her. The grounds were devoid of life except for her and Glinda, and Elphaba couldn't help but worry that something was going to happen. Somehow, snow and the calm that came with the arrival of snow caused her to become paranoid, especially with the war going on.

Glinda immediately picked up that Elphaba's mind was miles away. With a rapid scan of their surroundings to make sure that there was no one about, she pulled Elphaba into a quick kiss. "Kiss me-it's beginning to snow," Glinda whispered.

Elphaba let herself melt into the kiss before a blast of cold air brought her back to reality and she reluctantly pulled away. "Glinda!" she admonished. "What happened to our agreement?"

"Oh, Elphie, you can be so paranoid sometimes," Glinda whined. "And don't worry: I checked. There's no one out here. Except for you and me, that is."

"But-" Elphaba began.

Glinda put a finger on Elphaba's lips and Elphaba felt her protests die in her throat. _Merlin, why can't I resist her?_ Elphaba thought. However, she followed Glinda's example and let herself respond to Glinda's next kiss.

_If it was only always this way,_ Elphaba mused, looking at the beautiful witch she was currently with. _If only it were always this peaceful._

**Coming up: A Christmas party (maybe)**

**And enjoy the happy, sappy stuff while you can…it's back to business for the wicked side of me after the next chapter.**

**-Wolfie**


	13. Nothing is Too Wonderful To Be True

**The title for chapter twelve is from…Grease. Congrats to Easterly Winds and maureen is me. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

**More fluff-ish things. Although not as fluffy as last chapter, thank Lurline. Mostly, it's only fluffy at the end. And I had a major writer's block at the beginning of this, so it might sound a bit weird…**

_Chapter 13: Nothing is Too Wonderful To Be True_

If you asked anyone that had attended Shiz with her, Elphaba Thropp was now decidedly different as a teacher and Order member than when she herself was a student. Over the years, she had matured a lot; although her firebrand personality was still inside her, she was now a lot less rash and (mostly) thought things through before doing them. She attempted to become a bit more social, staying behind to talk to other professors or Order members instead of scowling or being sarcastic and moody.

Although many things had changed, however, one thing had stayed the same about Elphaba: She absolutely hated parties. She had avoided them at Shiz, and she still avoided them years later in England.

Unfortunately for Elphaba, Harry knew about this little fact and took steps each year to remedy it. This Christmas was no different. For some unknown reason, and to the annoyance of Elphaba, Harry was determined to make her enjoy Christmas with him and their friends.

Thus, around the twentieth of December, Harry arrived at Hogwarts to try and 'ambush' the green woman and make sure that she was going to go to the Christmas party at the Weasleys'. However, before he found his intended target, he came across Glinda instead.

"Oh, Glinda!" he said in greeting when he saw her. "Hi."

"Hi, Harry," Glinda replied, turning to look at the Order member. "I haven't seen you around in a while."

"Nor have I seen you," Harry rebutted. "So…you never told me- _are_ Fae and Fiyero back together again?"

Glinda squirmed uncomfortably. "Well…" She wasn't exactly sure how to tell Harry about _why_ the plan had failed. "Uh, why don't you ask Elphie about it? After all, she should be the one telling you the…good news."

"I would," Harry looked around the corridor, "except for the tiny fact that I can't seem to find her. Do you know where she is?"

"Actually, I haven't seen her all day," Glinda admitted. "She left her rooms really early- around six thirty, I imagine."

"Well, did she say where- hold on. Why in the world would you be in Fae's rooms at six thirty in the morning?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, did I say six thirty in the morning?" Glinda stuttered. "I-I mean, I haven't seen her since…ten this morning. I think she said that she needed to talk to Albus or something like that."

Harry frowned. "Glinda, how could you not have seen Fae since ten in the morning if it's only nine thirty right now?" He looked at Glinda suspiciously. Obviously, there was something that she wasn't telling him. She was a _really_ bad liar.

"Really?" Glinda said with a nervous laugh. "I thought it was…later than that. But anyway, as I said, Elphie is probably with Dumbledore. I can go find her with you if you'd like."

"Okay," Harry shrugged. "Dumbledore's office? Let's go, then." The two of them set off through the winding halls of Hogwarts, but before they got even close to Dumbledore's office, Harry stopped abruptly and threw out a hand, halting Glinda in her steps.

"What is it?" Glinda asked, looking around them.

"Fae's left Dumbledore's office," Harry replied, turning around and heading back the way he came. "Come on- she's outside by the lake."

"What? H-how did you know that?" Glinda was shocked.

Harry laughed. "I just saw her out the window." He led her over to a large multi-pained window and pointed out a black speck that Glinda could barely make out against the expanse of white outside.

"Are you sure that's Elphie?" Glinda sounded skeptical, squinting in order to try and make out Elphaba's green skin something within all the black. "It looks like some kind of animal."

Harry was nodding. "Exactly," he smirked. Before Glinda could ask Harry what he meant by this, Harry was already hurrying down the hallway.

"Wait!" she called, rushing to catch up to the Boy-Who-Lived. She finally was able to catch up with him as he reached the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts.

"You should stay in here," Harry looked at Glinda, readjusting his scarf. "It's terribly cold out there- you're not adequately dressed to go out right now."

"No," Glinda protested, heading for the large doors. "I'll be okay." She paused as Harry gave her a questioning look.

"You seem _very_ close to Fae," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Almost…as if you two were…" He trailed off. "Never mind," he muttered.

_Oh, sweet Oz,_ Glinda thought. _Harry's going to figure it out before long. Think, Glinda._ "Well, Elphie and I were best friends. In Oz, I mean. And I haven't seen her for five years, so-"

"Alright," Harry laughed, "I get it. It's all good." He opened the door, and the two occupants in the Entrance Hall were immediately was hit by a gust of cold air. "Well, are you coming?"

Giving a nod, Glinda followed Harry to the lake silently, hoping that if she kept her mouth shut, she would not be able to give anymore clues to him regarding her secret relationship with Elphaba. She really was bad at keeping secrets.

Soon, they had reached the frozen lake. The sun reflecting off the gleaming snow made it hard for Glinda to see anything _but_ the fluffy whiteness covering the grounds. Luckily, Harry seemed to know where Elphaba was, and so, Glinda merely followed him.

Suddenly, Glinda stopped dead in her tracks. _Sweet Oz, was that a-_ "Harry?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly and resisting the urge to clutch his arm. "There's a…a panther over there." She hoped that Harry would know how to fend off this gigantic black cat. The black panther, however had heard her, and turned to look at them, teeth bared in, what seemed to Glinda, a silent challenge.

Glinda's mind was going wild with fear when an abrupt and unwelcome thought came to her. _Lurline, what if Elphie was attacked by that panther? After all, Harry had said she was by the lake…_ The other, more rational part of her mind told her that if Elphaba could fight Death Eaters on a regular basis, she should be able to hold her own against a panther, but she couldn't help worrying.

By this time, the panther had gotten up and was making its way towards the blonde and Harry. "Harry," Glinda pulled at Harry's robes, who, unprepared for this sudden force, fell backwards. "Harry, come on, let's go." She glanced up at the wild cat, who was now much closer than Glinda was comfortable with.

"Harry!" Glinda just about screamed. She bent down and started dragging Harry with her. Why didn't he understand how dire this situation was? Being attacked by a panther wasn't exactly on her agenda for today, and besides, it would _completely_ mess up her dress.

She looked at Harry to ask him why he wasn't panicking when there was a _black panther_ coming towards them. However, she was quite unprepared for what she saw on Harry's face. Amusement. Harry was laughing.

"You're panicking because of that black panther?" he asked once he got his breath back.

"Well…yes," Glinda said, noticing that the panther had stopped about five feet away and was now watching them. It seemed almost...amused. _Probably because it's about to get two free meals_, the more pessimistic side of her thought.

"Don't worry, Glinda," Harry reassured her. He got up and walked over to the panther. "Fae is completely harmless." He attempted to stroke the panther on the head, but drew his hand back when the panther gave a warning snarl.

"Completely harmless?" Glinda shrieked. "Harry, that panther just…hold on. Fae? You named that panther after Elphaba?"

"Well, not really," Harry answered. "Her name is Fae. I didn't name her."

"Then…" Glinda was totally confused. This panther…Fae…seemed totally docile now. "Then you can talk to her? Is she really a Panther? How do you know that she's named Fae?"

Before Harry could answer, the panther gave a roar of…laughter? Then, with a small 'pop', the panther disappeared. In its place stood…"Elphie?" Glinda asked, her eyes wide with shock.

"Well, to answer your question Glinda, Harry knows that I'm named Fae because I told him," Elphaba said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "And Harry," she turned to the man beside her, "if you ever try to pet me on the head again, I _will_ bite your hand off."

"Ah, you say that every time," Harry replied. "You know you wouldn't, Fae."

"Wait a minute!" Glinda walked closer to them. "Hold on! Elphie, you were…"

"The panther, yes," Elphaba answered. "My animagus form is a panther." Seeing Glinda's look of confusion, she elaborated. "I can turn into a panther at will." She paused. "And if you told me that would be your reaction to me, well, I would have done that a long time ago."

"Elphie, you're impossible," Glinda acted affronted. "I can't believe you!"

Harry cleared his throat, and both witches turned to look at him. "As amusing as that was," he said, "I have something to ask you, Fae. Well, two things."

"Alright," Elphaba agreed. She lead Harry and Glinda to a patch of grass she had cleared of snow and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest. "Ask away."

"Firstly, did you get the invitation to the Christmas party?" Harry asked.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. Figures. "Yes," he answered. "And before you ask, Harry, yes, I'll go. Because if I don't, you're going to guilt me into it. Or somehow find another way to drag me there."

"Good. Glad to see that my threats are finally working out." Harry looked at Glinda. "You should come too, if you like."

"A Christmas party?" Glinda questioned. "What's Christmas?" Harry gave her a funny look.

"It's like…the Lurline's celebration in Oz," Elphaba explained. "Gift giving," here, she shot a look at Harry, who shrugged, "and celebrations and the like."

"Fae?" Harry asked, more serious now. "Here's my other question. What did Dumbledore want to meet with you about?"Elphaba didn't speak for a moment.

"Fae?" Harry questioned again.

Finally, Elphaba spoke. "Albus says that Voldemort is even more bold than ever," she said. "Apparently, the new weapon that he boasted of actually does exist. The Death Eaters are much stronger than he's ever seen."

"Why did he want to talk to you about it, though?" Harry asked.

"The Grimmerie," Elphaba sighed. "He wants to see the Grimmerie, and he wants me to try to read it again. For Merlin's sake, I haven't even looked at it for the past five years. Does he think it's that easy to read?"

"Elphie-" Glinda began, but was interrupted by Harry.

"Do you want me to come with you? When does Dumbledore want to see it?" Harry frowned.

Elphaba shrugged. "I don't know. Probably sometime after the New Year. And, sure, Harry, if you want, you can come. Although…I don't think you'll be able to read it, either. Most people can't."

There was a silence. The festive mood earlier had completely been destroyed. Glinda honestly wanted to kiss Elphaba and reassure her, but now was not the time nor place to do so. Instead, she just settled on hugging her girlfriend.

"Don't worry, Elphie," she said. "Everything will be fine. You'll be fine."

* * *

A few days later...

"Elphie! Are you coming?" Glinda was currently waiting for Elphaba, who seemed determined to take as long as she could to 'prepare' for the Weasleys' Christmas party. "Hurry up, Elphie!"

"Glinda," Elphaba called from behind her bedroom door. "If you're so impatient, why don't you go first? Just use the Floo Powder by the fireplace."

"No way," Glinda adamantly refused. "If I go, you're _never_ going to be ready. So I'm going to wait for you right here." She sat down on a couch and crossed her arms.

"You know, you're cute when you pout," Elphaba finally came out of the bedroom, realizing that there was no way for her to avoid this.

"Thanks," Glinda giggled. She drew Elphaba into a slow kiss and the two only broke apart when the clock on Elphaba's mantle chimed seven. "And when will you wear anything other than black?"

"Why bother?" Elphaba shrugged, moving over to the fireplace. "I look good in black. Here." She gave the pot of Floo Powder to Glinda. "Just throw this into the flames and say where you want to go."

Glinda gave the powder a distrustful look. "Are you sure about this, Elphie?"

"Don't worry, Glinda. I use this all the time. It's perfectly safe," Elphaba said. _Although…there was that one time that I ended up a few miles south of where I was supposed to go,_ she added silently in her head. _Well, there's no point in worrying Glinda_, she decided.

"Alright, then," Glinda hesitantly took a handful of Floo Powder, shouted, "The Burrow", and disappeared, and Elphaba followed suit.

As she arrived at the Weasleys' house, she realized that she should have given Glinda more time. Glinda had just gotten up and was dusting herself off when Elphaba arrived and knocked Glinda right back over again.

"Elphie!" Glinda squealed.

"Sorry," Elphaba apologized. "I'm not very good with Floo Powder. Or Portkeys."

Before Glinda could ask what a 'Portkey' was, they were greeted by two identical red-haired men.

"Why, if it isn't-" the one on the right began.

"Our favorite green witch," the one on the left finished.

Elphaba glared playfully. "I'm the _only_ green witch you know," she shot back. "Glad to see you two haven't changed a bit since I saw you last. Glinda, this is Fred and George Weasley."

"A beautiful lady," George (Glinda thought it was George) gasped in mock-surprise.

"That she is," Fred agreed. "Charmed." He gave a deep, exaggerated bow. Glinda laughed.

Elphaba shook her head in exasperation. "On second thought, perhaps I'm not so glad that you two haven't changed."

"That wounds me, Fae," Fred put a hand over his heart. "Wounds me something terrible."

It was at this point that Mrs. Weasley came hurrying out of the kitchen. "Fred, George, what are you two up to…oh. Fae, how wonderful to see you again. And, yes," she turned to Glinda, "Harry did say that you would be coming, Glinda. It's good to see you, too."

Glinda frantically racked her brain for this woman's name. She was sure that they had met at an Order meeting or something, but she couldn't remember who this woman was.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Elphaba began, but she was interrupted by the emergence of Hermione and Ron.

"Fae!" Hermione greeted the green witch. "What did Harry threaten you with to make you come?"

"What makes you think I was threatened?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"Because if you are like how you were at Shiz," Glinda cut in, "you'd never go to a party willingly."

Elphaba sighed. "Touché," she agreed. "Hello, Wea-Ron," she said, turning to Ron and trying her best not to glare at him.

"Thropp," Ron nodded in greeting. With another dirty look, he left the group.

"I'm sorry, Fae," Mrs. Weasley looked mortified. "I don't know what's gotten into him. I assure you, we did not raise him this way. Ronald!" she followed him into the kitchen.

"It's fine," Elphaba called after her. It wasn't as if she wasn't used to that, anyway.

"Come on, Fae," maybe-Fred pulled her into another room of The Burrow, with George and Glinda following behind. "Join us- Truth or Dare."

Elphaba pulled her arm away from Fred. "No thank you." She sat down on a couch near the group circle. "I don't play Truth of Dare. Ever."

"Oh, Elphie, please," Glinda pleaded. "For me?"

"I-" Elphaba was conflicted. "No. I'll just watch, thanks. You go."

"What's the matter, Thropp?" Ron cut in, glowering at her. "Too good for us or something?"

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione snapped. "Mind your manners. Fae is your _guest_."

"No," Elphaba replied evenly. "I'd just prefer to watch."

Ron shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said before dropping into a seat. "Ginny, truth or dare?"

One and a half hours later, Hermione had left the game to sit by Elphaba and discuss the Grimmerie with her. Elphaba was trying to do so while still keeping an eye on the game, as she had promised.

"Truth or dare, Glinda?" Harry asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Um…dare?" Glinda asked hesitantly.

Harry had been waiting for this moment all night. "Okay, Glinda. I dare you to…kiss Fae. On the lips."

Glinda froze. _The compromise_, she thought. Then, she remembered that this was a dare, and seeing as it was, no one should get suspicious in any way. She got up and made her way over to an oblivious Elphaba.

"Elphie," Glinda said. When Elphaba turned to look at her, Glinda kissed her passionately on the mouth. Elphaba relaxed into the kiss a little before she remembered exactly where there were.

"Glinda!" she yelped, pulling back.

Harry was laughing. "Don't worry Fae. It was her dare. I dared her to kiss you."

Elphaba took a deep breath. It was okay, then. "See, this is why I don't play truth or dare," she explained to the group at large.

"Is she a good kisser?" Fred asked Glinda as she returned to the group. Both Elphaba and Glinda blushed, but luckily for them, they were saved by Mrs. Weasley calling the whole group in for dinner. The question was quickly forgotten as the group made a mad rush for the food.

Glinda followed Elphaba into the dining room. "By the way," she whispered to a very dark green Elphaba, "I never answered Fred. You are a _very_ good kisser."

**Coming up: Discussing the Grimmerie**

**This chapter was supposed to go a bit longer, but it's already longer than usual. Oh well…**

**It looks like Voldemort took a Christmas break as well. It'll be back to war business for our gang next chapter. **

**-Wolfie**


	14. On the Right Track

**The title for chapter thirteen is from…Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Congrats to Easterly Winds, CardboardCreative, and Wickedgreenchild.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

**I have to say, Mara did a pretty good job with the Snape scene. And thanks to CardboardCreative, who inspired me for it, even if you didn't know it at the time. (You mentioned that someone probably saw Elphaba and Glinda kissing in Chapter 12. Originally, I wasn't going to have someone see them, but then, I decided…what if someone saw them, just not a bad person? And that's how that scene came about.)**

_Chapter 14: On the Right Track_

If there was one thing that Elphaba had learned ever since she came to England, it was that Dumbledore was a man of his word. If he said that something was going to happen, usually, that something did happen. This was once again proved in regards to the Grimmerie.

A few days after Christmas, Elphaba was stopped by Dumbledore in the hallways. "Good afternoon, Fae," he greeted her. "Do you remember what we talked about a week ago?"

Elphaba sighed. How could she forget? "Yes," she muttered. "Shall I go and get the Grimmerie now?"

"That would be best, yes," Dumbledore said. "We need to get a move on; I've caught wind of the fact that Voldemort is planning something."

"Like what?" Elphaba frowned. "Another attack?"

"Something involving dementors," Dumbledore replied. "Although I don't think you need to worry, Fae. You're completely capable of casting a Patronus, aren't you?"

"Yes, but…" Elphaba bit her lip as a thought came to her. "Albus, the students. I know you don't want them to know about all this- Voldemort and the like, but there's a war going on around them. They have to know."

"Fae-" Dumbledore began.

"No, Albus. Listen to me." Obviously, Elphaba had been thinking about this for a long time. "I've talked to the Defense teacher, Kim Johnson, a few times. She's completely incompetent. Do you know what she's teaching them? For Merlin's sake, what will a Stunning Spell or a Disarming Spell do against Voldemort, or even Death Eaters? I know that you want to shield them, I know that they're only children, but Albus, what good will shielding them do when they're being tortured and killed?"

"Fae," Dumbledore put a hand on her shoulder, "I know that you worry about the students. I do too. But there's only so much we can teach them, especially the younger ones. Their magic simply isn't strong enough to sustain higher power spells. What else do you suggest?"

"I don't know." Elphaba tried to think. "Didn't Harry run a…Defense team or class or something during his fifth year as a student? Or at least that's what he told me. Why can't we do the same? We could find someone to teach the older students _actual_ defense spells, such as the Patronus, and seeing that my Dueling Class is only for third years and above, this would also give some of the younger students a chance to learn some battle tactics."

Dumbledore seemed deep in thought for a little while. "You know, Fae, that may be a worthwhile effort. Congratulations, you are now in charge of the Hogwarts Dueling Club. Do you want me to make an announcement about it tonight at dinner?"

"Wait! Me? Why am I in charge?" Elphaba crossed her arms. "I already have teaching, being the Head of Gryffindor House, and fighting Voldemort on my plate."

"Well, unless you can find someone else…" Dumbledore trailed off and abruptly changed the subject. "I'll meet you in my office in ten minutes with the Grimmerie, shall I?" Without another word, he swept around the corner and disappeared.

Elphaba stood in the middle of the hallway. _That man can be so infuriating sometimes,_ she though, her fists clenched. Then, she realized that Dumbledore was expecting her and hurried away as well.

She opened the portrait guarding her rooms and was greeted by…Harry? "Harry, what are you doing here?" Elphaba asked.

"Is that how you greet all your friends?" Harry asked, throwing her hands in the air.

"Only the annoying ones," Elphaba answered with a smirk before disappearing into her bedroom. Glinda had moved the Grimmerie into Elphaba's rooms a few days ago, since they slept in the same room most of the time anyway.

"Fine," Harry called after her. "If that's how you feel about me, then I'll just-" He paused as Elphaba returned with the faded leather book in her arms. "The Grimmerie?" Harry asked, coming forward.

"No," Elphaba snapped sarcastically. "It's a cookbook. I'm bringing it to the House Elves, you see."

"You're way too sarcastic for your own good," Harry shook his head in exasperation.

"And you're way too bloody cheerful," Elphaba shot back. "Well, are you coming with me to Dumbledore's office?"

"Yeah, sure." Harry and Elphaba walked down the corridor in silence, until Elphaba realized that the person that she could dump her newest responsibility on was right next to her.

"Harry?" she began. "Has your department been terribly busy lately?"

"My department? You mean the Aurors?" Harry frowned. "Well, no. Voldemort hasn't been up to much lately. Why?"

"Dumbledore wants to start a Dueling Club," Elphaba explained. "Do you think you could-"

Harry laughed. "A Dueling Club? Doesn't he remember what happened last time he tried to instigate a Dueling Club at Hogwarts? Lockhart was a bloody joke, I'll tell you that."

"Exactly," Elphaba agreed, although she had absolutely no idea who Lockhart was. "And I think the students would really benefit from having an Auror come in and-"

"Fae, you're a perfectly capable dueler," Harry said. "Why can't you teach them?"

"I already teach Dueling," Elphaba argued. "Besides, you can give them a few pointers from a different point of view. Things like that."

"Well…we'll see," Harry decided. "I'm not promising anything. Although if you need a demonstrator, I'll duel you. I've always wanted to, anyhow."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "Alright, Potter," she challenged. "You're on." By this time, they had reached the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office.

"Licorice Wands," Elphaba said the password and began ascending the stairs with Harry behind her.

"Licorice Wands?" Harry asked. "I thought it was Chocolate Frogs."

"He changed the password a month ago," Elphaba explained. "Apparently, he had an 'unfortunate experience' involving a chocolate frog and his socks." Harry snickered silently. Some things just never change.

Harry knocked on the door that opened to Dumbledore's office. "Fae? Come in, please," Dumbledore called from behind said door.

"Hello, Albus," Harry said, slipping into the office with Elphaba right behind him. "You don't mind if I join you two, do you?" Elphaba closed the door and then sat down in one of the red armchairs next to Harry in front of Dumbledore's desk.

"Of course not, dear boy," Dumbledore said jovially. "Now, Fae, you've brought the Grimmerie? Good, good. Let's see it, then."

"Careful," Elphaba warned, handing the old spell book over to the aged headmaster. "It's very old and quite fragile, I'd imagine."

"Well, then, in that case," Dumbledore put the Grimmerie on his desk, "we'll just set it here, why don't we? May I?" he asked, indicating that he wanted to open the book.

"Go ahead," Elphaba gave her consent. "Although it probably will just be a bunch of nonsense to you." Dumbledore took the Grimmerie and began to examine the spells.

"Why Fae," he exclaimed, "I don't see how you can read this. This certainly is not in any language that I'm familiar with, and I'd like to consider myself adept in a fair few. This is just a group of squiggles to me."

"Yes, that's what most people see," Elphaba explained. "Although the 'squiggles' rearrange themselves into words for me."

"Can one learn to read these spells?" Harry asked, itching to take a look at the previously mentioned 'squiggles'.

"Sure," Elphaba shrugged. "Although it definitely takes a long time and a lot of practice. Glinda's been learning for five years, and she can't read all of the spells yet, to the best of my knowledge."

"Fae, could you do one of these spells now?" Dumbledore asked, handing the book back to her.

"Which one?" Elphaba flipped through the pages of the ancient book, looking for one that she was familiar with. "The levitation spell?" For a moment, she was brought back in time to that one horrible day when she discovered her power for reading the Grimmerie in the Wizard's palace.

"Anything," Dumbledore said, sitting back down behind his desk.

Elphaba stood up and looked around, looking for something to levitate. She picked up a random silver instrument from Dumbledore's desk.

"Don't you know the spells by heart?" Harry teased.

"Quiet," Elphaba snapped. She looked down at the spell and began casting. "Ahven, tatey, aven tatey aven. Ah may ah tah tay may tu se say ta!" As she finished the last syllable, the silver instrument began to rise.

"And there you have it," Elphaba said. "The lost language of spells."

"Here, let me see that." Harry suddenly picked up the Grimmerie from the desk. He flipped through a few pages and squinted at the words that had begun to form in front of his eyes.

"Ah tay, tah tem, setey ah meyta," Harry slowly pronounced, pointing at another random silver instrument. The occupants of the office all jumped as that instrument exploded with a display of red fireworks.

"W-wait!" Elphaba gasped, her eyes wide. She lost her concentration, and the first silver instrument clattered to the ground. "How- how did you read that?"

"I-I don't know." Obviously, Harry had not been expecting anything to happen either. "It just…formed words for me."

"Fae, you said that as far as you know, you and Glinda are the only people that can read this?" Dumbledore asked, indicating the Grimmerie. Elphaba nodded, still in shock. "Then…Harry," Dumbledore gasped, seemingly much happier than ever before. "This is what we're looking for. This could possibly turn the tide of this war for us!"

"What do you mean?" Elphaba demanded. "How could this change the war?"

"The power the Dark Lord knows not," Harry breathed, understanding what Dumbledore was getting at. "There has to be a spell in this book that can help us defeat Voldemort. Is there, Fae?" He turned to look as Elphaba.

"I don't know," Elphaba replied, annoyed. "I don't look through the Grimmerie on a regular basis. It reminds me too much of…never mind. And what power are you talking about anyway?"

"The prophecy," Dumbledore reminded her. "Don't you remember the prophecy?"

"No," Elphaba said curtly. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"I don't think we ever actually told her," Harry informed Dumbledore. He sat down again and motioned for Elphaba to do the same. "There was a prophecy made about me, Fae. It says that neither Voldemort nor I can live while the other survives, and that I will have a power 'that the Dark Lord knows not.' If it is true that no one else can read the Grimmerie, that the words in there are really a lost language, then we just might have found the power."

"So…you think there could be a spell in there that could defeat Voldemort?" Elphaba frowned in concentration, trying to remember if there was such a spell. "I could look, I suppose, but…Harry, you have to know, doing spells from the Grimmerie take a lot of effort and energy. That's why I prefer spells from this world. And think of how large-scale a spell that you're suggesting would be. Even turning Fiyero into a scarecrow took a lot of energy; think of the amount of energy you'd need to perform a spell from the Grimmerie to destroy Voldemort."

"The benefits outweigh the risks, though," Harry argued. "If this works, think of how many lives could be saved."

"Another thing, though, Harry," Elphaba said, "is that you'll have to learn to read the Grimmerie properly. Do you remember how long it took for you to read that spell? You're not going to have that much time when you're facing Voldemort."

"Could you teach me, then?" Harry asked. "Help me with decoding these spells- we should be able to find a spell to defeat Voldemort together."

"Harry-" Elphaba began.

"Fae, I know you have problems with this book. Frankly, the fact that these spells hold so much power scares me too," Harry pleaded. "But we have to. There's no other way to defeat Voldemort. We've exhausted all our resources already."

Elphaba lowered her eyes to the floor for a minute before looking back up at an expectant Harry and Dumbledore. "I-" She sighed heavily. "I don't really have a choice in this whole deal, do I? I'll meet you next Sunday in the library, if I must."

"Thanks, Fae. We really appreciate this," Dumbledore said.

"Here." Elphaba picked up the Grimmerie and gave it to Harry. "Take it and practice reading it. We'll see what we need to work on next week."

"Alright," Harry nodded. "Thank you again. Dumbledore." He nodded and left the office, closing the door behind him.

"Albus," Elphaba began once she was sure that Harry was out of earshot. "Harry has consented to teaching this new 'Dueling Club…" Revenge was a dish best served cold.

* * *

It was twenty minutes after six am when Glinda opened Elphaba's door and peeked out to see if anyone was in the hallway. She'd finally decided that since she couldn't keep Elphaba from getting up at six in the morning, she might as well join her.

However, this morning Glinda had discovered that she had no clothes of her own lying around Elphaba's rooms. She would have to return to her own rooms to find something suitable—unless she wanted to wear Elphaba's unflattering black frocks. And that was something she passionately wanted to avoid.

So wearing only a robe and carrying yesterday's underclothes under her arm, Glinda carefully and quietly stepped into the hallway outside Elphaba's rooms. She hoped not to run into anyone—she couldn't imagine that other people wandered around Hogwarts this early in the morning anyway—but her hopes were soon dashed when she turned a corner and ran into Professor Snape.

Rather foolishly, Glinda had been doing the whole-walking-stealthily-thing which only made it look more obvious that she was doing something suspicious. And to make matters worse, Glinda instantly stood at attention upon seeing Snape and her eyes grew wide with surprise. Not to mention the fact that she was wearing nothing but a robe and was only a matter of a few feet away from Elphaba's rooms.

"Miss Upland," Snape said as he looked up and down at the woman standing before him, clutching a bra, panties, and stockings with her right hand and trying to keep her robe from opening up and revealing anything with her left hand. "May I inquire what you are doing wandering school corridors dressed like that?"

Glinda tittered nervously, "Oh, uh, no reason!" she lied. Glinda was a horrible liar.

"Right," Snape said sarcastically. "Of course. You were just getting some morning air!"

The blond witch relaxed a little, "Yes, that's what I was doing!"

"Except that if you wanted morning air, you would be outside or better yet, wearing actual clothing. And why are you down here anyway, I thought your rooms were over—" Snape stopped abruptly. Then he quickly walked around Glinda and peered down the hallway. "You came from Fae's rooms."

"Oh, yeah… well, see, I had to borrow her shower because mine wasn't working, so, uh, that's why I'm dressed like this at 6:25 in the morning!" Glinda said quickly. Then she smiled inwardly—that was a pretty good lie for Glinda!

And Snape thankfully decided not to ask Glinda any more questions (like why if she'd borrowed Elphaba's shower was her hair perfectly dry and was she carrying her underwear instead of _wearing_ it). So he let a hint of a smile creep onto his face before saying, "Of course, that makes perfect sense! Well, good day, Miss Upland!" and walking around the corner.

As soon as he was gone, Glinda breathed a sigh of relief. Then she hurried up to her rooms. She didn't think that Snape would knock on Elphaba's door and ask what was going on, but Snape wasn't a Slytherin for nothing. He did.

Elphaba sighed dramatically when she heard someone knocking at her portrait. "Glinda, you can get your toothpaste later—" Elphie began before opening the portrait to see not her blond female lover, but her dark-haired male friend. "Snape," she said, slightly shocked.

"Fae," Snape said. "May I come in? I'd like to ask you about some things."

"Oh," Elphaba said, "um…sure." She let him into the room and closed the portrait behind him. _Oh, dear Merlin, what was this about? Hopefully he hadn't run into Glin—_

"I ran into Glinda coming here, and she was wearing nothing but a robe and carrying her undergarments. She said to ask you for the story," Snape began rather bluntly.

The story? Glinda had spent the night in Elphie's rooms and had no clean clothes there so she'd returned to her rooms to find some. "Well, being such a morning person, she came over for an early breakfast but she spilled…hot tea all over her clothes and I made her take off her clothes so she wouldn't burn herself and gave her a robe so she could return to her rooms," Elphaba lied quickly.

A wry smile twisted the corners of Snape's mouth. "And your story happens to be completely different from Glinda's because…" he said, waiting for her to fill in the blank.

The green witch's eyes flared. "You said she told you to ask me for the story!"

"So I lied. It doesn't matter. What matters is that something _very_ peculiar is happening around here, and I want to find out what it is—what's going on, Fae?" Snape pushed for an explanation.

"Nothing!" Elphaba exclaimed quickly.

Snape nodded, unconvinced. "The other day, when it was all white and snowy outside, I went for a walk in the cold air and as I was strolling around the castle grounds, I saw something very unusual. Two young women, kissing. On the mouth. There may have been tongue involved."

Had Elphaba been born with peach-colored flesh, she would have been beet red right about now. But instead she was turned a bright lime green. It would have been highly comical if she hadn't been so stressed.

"Listen, Snape, I…well, Glinda…I mean, we…"

The potions professor looked slightly amused at how panicked Elphaba was about this whole deal. "Just be honest, Fae: are you and Glinda romantically involved?"

Elphaba was not going to lie to her friend, as much as she wanted to at this point. "Yes," she said quietly.

Snape nodded, "Well, that explains many things. If you two are sleeping together, then by all means, continue to do so—just please be a little more subtle about it, there are people here who might not be thrilled with such a relationship."

The green witch was surprised. He didn't care; he'd just wanted to know if his suspicions were correct.

"And better the blond woman than Tiggular, anyway," Snape finished as he turned to leave.

"Yeah," Elphaba said breathlessly, still surprised that Snape was so accepting of Glinda and Elphaba's relationship.

Snape pushed the portrait open, then paused and turned back to Elphaba. "Oh, and another thing—please remember that despite the illusion the corridors may give you that my rooms and yours are far away, your room is actually situated directly atop the dungeon. If you wouldn't mind taking the volume down a little at night, it might help make it easier to sleep." Then the professor walked out, letting the portrait fall shut behind him.

Elphaba was still staring at the entrance of her rooms, wide-eyed at Snape's last comment, when Glinda returned two minutes later in a sparkly light green dress—close to the shade of Elphaba's blushing cheeks, ironically—and told her that she thought Snape was on to them.

* * *

Elphaba liked Sunday afternoons. They were calm and peaceful. She was usually done with grading her students' homework by then and was free to do what she pleased.

This Sunday was no different. It was around three o'clock in the afternoon, and Elphaba had just spent all morning finishing up her fourth years' essays. ("A History of Light and Dark Spells"). She arched her back in an almost cat-like manner before standing up. Remembering her promise to meet Glinda in her rooms at three thirty, Elphaba left her bedroom and went into the halls outside. She walked up several flights of stairs and found herself face-to-face with a panicked Harry.

"Fae!" He gasped. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Elphaba immediately picked up on the fact that something was wrong. "What is it?" she asked urgently. "What's happened now?"

"Voldemort's attempting to kidnap Fudge!" And just like that, Elphaba's relaxing afternoon disappeared.

**It's back to cliffhangers for me…**

**Coming up: A dementor attack and a capture.**

**-Wolfie**


	15. Memory

**The title for chapter fourteen is from…Pippin. Congrats to Easterly Winds.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 15: Memory_

"Stupefy!" Elphaba whirled around as a jet of red light barely missed her head. "Crucio!" "Avada Kedavra!"

_Great,_ Elphaba though. _Just great. Three on one._ She ducked under another spell and tripped the closet Death Eater, who clearly wasn't expecting Elphaba to resort to Muggle methods. However, another Death Eater took this time to grab Elphaba and pulled her wand hand behind her. "Say goodbye, Thropp," he hissed.

Elphaba fought desperately to get loose when suddenly, said Death Eater let her go, stunned. Elphaba turned to see Harry standing there, his wand out and pointed at the Death Eater. "You mess with my friends, you mess with me!" he warned. He looked at Elphaba. "You alright?"

"Yes," Elphaba nodded, then leapt at the Boy-Who-Lived, tackling Harry to the ground.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Harry asked, annoyed.

"Returning the favor," Elphaba answered, nodding towards a Death Eater who looked particularly annoyed that his Killing Curse had missed Harry. She held a hand out to help Harry up. He did so quickly and they separated, running to assist the other Order members.

It had been two hours, and the Death Eaters didn't look like they would be letting up the fight anytime soon. If they kept this up, the Order would be too exhausted to do anything else. Elphaba winced as a particularly nasty Cutting Curse hit her upper arm. For her part, exhaustion led to mistakes. And in a battle such as this, mistakes could lead to death.

They (meaning the Order) had been unable to get a glimpse of the Minister yet- the Death Eaters had been prepared for a battle and was keeping them occupied. Jets of light flew through the air at breakneck speed. If Elphaba wasn't currently fighting for her life, she would have sat back and enjoyed this spectacular display of fireworks.

According to Dumbledore, Aurors had arrived in time to stop Fudge from being captured- however, they had been too preoccupied to defend themselves from the back-up Death Eaters to do really anything else much. However, they _had_ been able to put up shields around the Ministry that would stop anyone from Disapperating or Portkey-ing out of the building. Therefore, the Order knew that Fudge was in here somewhere. They just had to find him before the Death Eaters could get him out of the building.

Elphaba paused as the frenzy of the fighting mellowed out a tad bit. Through the corner of her eye, she saw one of the inner circle Death Eaters (McNair, she believed) disappear around the corner of the doorway. With another glance at the battle, Elphaba ran after McNair, although making sure to keep out of the Death Eater's sight.

McNair quickly ran down several flights of stairs into the basement of the Ministry. It was evident that no one had been down here for a long time- dust covered the numerous cardboard boxes; Elphaba had to work very hard not to sneeze and give her location away. She lodged herself in a shadow that two boxes created and watched as McNair strode purposefully towards the corner of the room.

Elphaba tightened her grip on her wand as she heard a sound- some kind of muffled plea for help. McNair walked over to the sound and pulled out a bound and gagged Minister of Magic. "Why, good afternoon, my dear Minister," he grinned insanely. "I do hope that your temporary quarters were to your liking."

Fudge attempted to say something to McNair, his entire body shaking in fear. He looked like he was about to pass out. Although Elphaba thought that the Minister (and generally the Ministry) was an idiot, she actually felt a bit sorry for him.

"Well now," McNair said, still grinning, "I think we shall go now. I do believe we've caused enough damage here. Our Lord has been looking forward to having a chat with you for a few weeks now- you don't want to disappoint him, do you?" It was at this point that Fudge actually _did_ pass out. McNair looked down at his victim. "Oh well. Makes this job all the easier for me."

Elphaba decided that this would be the time to make her presence be known. "Sorry to burst your bubble," she said smoothly from the shadows, "but imagine how angry Voldemort will be when he finds out that your mission has failed."

"Who are you?" McNair demanded. "How dare you speak the Dark Lord's name without fear?" McNair glared at his new opponent, walking closer to the green woman's hiding place.

"No one in particular," Elphaba replied evenly.

"You'll pay for that one, Mudblood." This was definitely _not_ the plan. He was supposed to slip away unnoticed, get outside the shields with the Minister, and Portkey away. He subtly aimed his wand at the person in the shadows, a spell on his lips.

However, instead of inspiring fear, as he usually did, McNair was confused as Elphaba cackled and stepped out into the light. "Mudblood? Well, there's a new one. Usually, I'm merely termed 'Artichoke'."

"You!" McNair narrowed his eyes as he recognized one of the more prominent Order members. "Avada Kedevra!" he roared, suddenly bringing his wand up to Elphaba's head. Elphaba's eyes widened, and she threw herself to the ground, out of harm's way. McNair swore rather violently as his green Killing Curse missed the green Order member. Now, he'd lost his advantage; Elphaba would be on the lookout for the next curse.

As it turned out, Elphaba _wasn't_ on the lookout for the next curse. She fired it. But McNair wasn't in the inner circle for nothing. With barely any effort, he threw up a shield, causing Elphaba's own curse to rebound towards herself. "You'll have to do better than that, Thropp," McNair laughed tauntingly.

The two enemies circled each other, both looking for a weakness in their opponent. Elphaba's arm shook from exhaustion and from blood loss due to the Cutting Curse she had received earlier in the battle. McNair could sense this and was therefore confident, almost overly so. Once again, he fired a second Killing Curse. Elphaba, expecting this, ducked, letting the boxes behind her explode.

Elphaba was breathing hard by now. The earlier battle had taken its toll on her, and the blood loss was beginning to making her head spin. A small voice in the back of her mind told her to get out before she was killed, but she quickly squashed said voice.

She mostly felt the curse coming towards her before it actually hit her; however, she had no time to move out of the way. With a dull thud, her head hit the stone wall as she was violently thrown backwards. She fell to the floor and was aware that the floor seemed to be tilting about 45 degrees. She tried to get up, to no avail, hoping to keep McNair in her line of vision. However, her former clarity of vision was momentarily gone and everything turned to a blurred blob of colors.

Unable to see, Elphaba guessed McNair's location and threw a weak Stunning Spell. Her vision cleared for an instant, long enough for her to see that her spell was off by about five feet. McNair laughed sadistically and leveled his wand at Elphaba. _No!_ Elphaba thought, willing her brain to work with her legs.

"Avada-" McNair said for the final time.

"Stupefy!" someone called from the stairwell. McNair didn't have time to do anything; he crumpled to the ground, stunned. Elphaba's vision blurred again and she strained to make out the figure that was approaching her. It felt like someone was taking a hammer to her head. She pointed her wand at the figure.

"Fae!" Harry. "Fae, it's me. Harry. Are you alright? Can you walk?" His voice sounded almost distant.

_Harry?_ Elphaba wondered. _Oh, yeah. Potter. Prophecy. Voldemort. Battle. Minister. Capture._

"Fae, talk to me," Harry sounded worried.

"Harry," Elphaba muttered thickly, wanting nothing more than to lie down. "Battle. Upstairs. Where?"

"The battle's over," Harry answered, bending down to help Elphaba to her feet. "The Death Eaters suddenly retreated- I have no idea why."

"Minister," Elphaba waved her hand over to the general area where she thought Fudge was lying.

"We have to help you first," Harry replied. "You look really bad. Come on." Elphaba briefly wondered why there was warm liquid dripping down her face for a moment before deciding that she didn't really care at this point.

Leaning heavily on Harry, Elphaba was able to make her way back up to the main floor of the Ministry, where most of the Order was, recuperating from their injuries and getting ready to leave.

"Remus," Harry called to the werewolf. "Could you help Fae back to Hogwarts? McNair's down in the basement with Fudge- I have to deal with them," he looked disgusted at this prospect.

"Fae? What happened to you?" Remus asked worriedly, hurrying over to guide the green woman to a chair.

"She was battling McNair," Harry answered for Elphaba, who didn't seemed inclined to talk anyhow.

Elphaba's headache turned into a dull roaring that got louder and louder with each second until every noise sounded as if it were under water—far away, slow, and unintelligible. Once again, her vision blurred for a moment before mostly clearing: although she could vaguely discern objects and people, everything seemed to be in black and white. When Elphaba's brain finally decided to switch into sleeping mode, Elphaba did not object. She was not aware of Harry and Remus's worried calls to her as her vision quickly grew darker and she collapsed.

* * *

A pale figure with red eyes sat on a throne, glaring at the cowering Death Eaters before him. "I confess myself…disappointed," he said at length. "I sent you, my group of most loyal, most trusted, most _talented_ Death Eaters, to do a simple job. And what happens? You fail. Now why would that be?"

There was no answer from the cowering Death Eaters. "McNair!" Voldemort snapped. "Come forward!"

The Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably. Not one of them wanted the burden of explaining _why_ exactly McNair wasn't here. Then, one of the younger (and more foolish) Death Eaters finally stepped forward. "My Lord," he said reverently, "McNair isn't…isn't here."

"Isn't here?" Voldemort repeated. "Well then, Crusick, where, pray tell, would McNair be?"

"McNair was captured, my Lord," Crusick stammered, fearful of his master's reaction. And with good reason, too. With a growl of rage, Voldemort sent a Cruciatus Curse towards the unlucky messenger.

"How dare McNair disobey my orders!" Voldemort raged. "I ordered him to take Fudge and leave immediately, while the Order was busy- there should have been no problems."

"My Lord," Crusick said hesitantly. "There-there was an…interruption in your plan." Sensing that Voldemort was about to speak, the young Death Eater plowed recklessly on. "McNair was about to leave with Fudge when Thropp interfered."

"And?" Voldemort prompted.

"A-and they dueled. McNair was going to win, but as he as about to destroy her, Potter stunned him from behind," Crusick finished.

"OUT!" Voldemort roared. "OUT!" The Death Eaters stampeded for the exit, fearful of Voldemort's wrath. "Malfoy and Lestrange, stay behind."

Once all of the Death Eaters (excluding Malfoy and Lestrange) were gone, Voldemort regarded them thoughtfully. "Tell me more about this…Elphaba Thropp," he commanded. "Where does she come from? Who is she?"

"We don't know too much about her, my Lord," Malfoy began. "She appeared about five years ago and she teaches the dueling course at Hogwarts. She's never been a high-profile case for us, so we don't have any tabs on her."

"Lestrange," Voldemort turned to the dark-haired woman next to Malfoy. "What do you think of Thropp? How can she, a mere anonymous professor, hold off one of my most trained, Inner Circle Death Eaters, even though we have our new weapon on our side, until he is captured? Is she potentially a threat? Could we recruit her to our side?"

"Thropp seems to have a close friendship with Harry Potter and is also close to Dumbledore," Lestrange dutifully reported. "Judging from this, she probably will not turn, but it wouldn't hurt to try. And if she doesn't turn to our side, yes, Thropp could prove to be a major problem. She proved it in this battle. Our best course of action would be to try to persuade her to join our side, and if she refuses, to completely wipe out the problem."

"I see that," Voldemort said. "Hmm…Malfoy!" he suddenly snapped. "I want our spy in the Order on Thropp. I want to know everything about her- who she's with, where she goes…everything. And I want a report by the end of the month about her. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," Malfoy bowed.

"Oh," Voldemort finished, almost lazily. "One more thing: This is for the failure of the mission. Crucio!"

* * *

The sun shone brightly into Elphaba's rooms, promising a sunny, but chilly day. "Are you _sure_ you're alright, Elphie?" Glinda asked for what seemed like the hundredth time to Elphaba. "You don't have to go to the meeting if you still feel dizzy."

"Yes, I'm sure," Elphaba replied, annoyed. "…mother."

"Elphie, I'm worried about you," Glinda said, sitting down next to Elphaba on the couch. "After both battles that you've come back from, you've been unconscious. And Harry told me that you were almost killed this time."

"He did _what?_" Elphaba snapped. "I _told_ him not to say anything about that-"

"-and I'm glad he did!" Glinda interrupted. "You can't hide these things from me, Elphaba. I have to know."

"But-" Elphaba began.

"But _nothing_," Glinda emphasized. "I know you're trying to 'protect me', but Elphie, would you rather I never hear about these things and then one day find out from Harry or someone that you're dead?"

"Glinda, I'm not going to die," Elphaba tried to reassure Glinda, who seemed very close to tears. "I guarantee you that I won't die in this war."

"Promise?" Glinda asked.

"Promise," Elphaba said, kissing her lightly on the lips. "I should go now. Harry and the others will be waiting for me." Giving a slight nod to Glinda, she slipped out of her rooms with a sense of relief. After she had awoken in the Hospital Ward (as per usual), Elphaba had found herself facing a long lecture from Snape about 'being an idiotic Gryffindor and taking unnecessary risks'. Then, Snape _and _Glinda had taken it upon themselves to keep Elphaba in bed for another week or so. Although Elphaba appreciated Snape and Glinda's concerns, she was yearning to get back outside.

While she had been bed-ridden, Harry and Dumbledore had questioned McNair for information about Voldemort's goals. Unfortunately, they had not been able find out much, as there was some sort of secrecy spell placed over the captured Death Eater. They _did_, though, find out that Voldemort wanted to capture Fudge as a show of strength to the Wizarding world; if even the Minister of Magic could be captured, that would mean that there was no safety from Voldemort.

Harry and Dumbledore had invited Elphaba to go over some other small details that McNair had spilled during the interrogation and then to take another look at the Grimmerie. After a lot of bartering with Glinda (_honestly, Glinda should be the next Madame Pomphrey_, Elphaba thought), Elphaba had managed to convince Glinda that she was fine, that she _had_ recovered from the battle at the Ministry.

Although to tell the truth, Glinda had displayed a natural ability for healing over the course of this week. While keeping an eye on Elphaba, Glinda had helped Madam Pomphrey with injuries that other Order members had received in the same battle. _Perhaps Glinda really _should_ think about looking into healing_. Elphaba made a mental note to bring that subject up with Glinda when she saw her next.

She walked through the familiar halls and up the stairs to the Headmaster's office, happy to finally be free from her rooms again.

* * *

Glinda slowly wandered across the chilly grounds. It was the first sunny day for a long time, and although it was still terribly cold, she was determined to enjoy the sun. She hoped that Elphaba would be out of her meeting soon. This past week had been incredibly worrisome for her. When Remus Lupin had brought Elphaba back from the battle, Glinda had been alarmed to see blood running down the unconscious green witch's face.

She had refused to leave Elphaba's bedside in the Hospital Wing until Elphaba woke up, a grand total of three days. No amount of persuading, wheedling, or even threatening would get her out of the Hospital Wing. While she was in there, she had found another talent: Healing. Perhaps she _could_ help in the war, as a Healer.

Rather preoccupied with this thought, Glinda barely noticed the temperature dropping until she began to shiver uncontrollably. She looked up, wondering why it had become so dark all of a sudden. Where had the sun gone? Then, she noticed dark, cloaked figures flying down, closer and closer to where she stood.

Without warning, she was assaulted by memories:

_"Glinda, come with me," Elphaba whispered, her eyes gleaming. "Think of what we could do, together." She held out her broomstick, waiting for Glinda. _

_Glinda took a step forward, and then paused. No. She couldn't. The Wizard was too powerful. "I hope you're happy," she said sincerely, stepping back again, "now that you're choosing this."_

_"Me too," Elphaba replied, just as the wooden door separating the two witches and the Gale Force broke down. She squeezed Glinda's hand quickly before using the broom to ascend into the air, evading the Gale Force. Glinda's heart constricted as she watched her best friend, the girl she was in love with, defy gravity, and knowing that it would never be the same again, and that she would regret this forever. _

"No," Glinda moaned, falling to her knees and trying to block out these unwelcome memories. "Elphie, no." However, this was not the worst of it. Another memory came to the forefront of her mind:

_Glinda tried to hold back her tears as she attempted to tell Elphaba how much she meant to her. They didn't have much time; even as Glinda spoke, she could hear the cries of the Witch Hunters below them. How could she tell Elphaba everything that needed to be said in the minutes they had remaining. As the precious seconds counted down, Glinda summed up her feelings for the green witch in six words: "I have been changed for good."_

_Glinda couldn't help it anymore. She fell forward into Elphaba's strong arms. For a moment, time stopped as the Good Witch of the North and the Wicked Witch of the West held each other. Elphaba's head snapped up as she realized that the Witch Hunters had reached the door of the room they were currently in. She pulled away. "Glinda," she whispered urgently. "You need to hide."_

By this time, Glinda was lying in a heap on the grass. She knew what was coming next, and she didn't want to relieve those memories again. "No, Elphie, please," she muttered subconsciously, covering her ears as if trying to block out Elphaba's dying screams.

_Elphaba quickly ushered Glinda into a small closet before turning to face the murderous mob. Glinda was not able to see much through the tiny crack by the floor, but she could hear the battle well enough. And Glinda was not able to block out the horrible, gut-wrenching sounds of Elphaba's pain-filled screams as she melted._

She couldn't restrain it. Relieving Elphaba's death all over again caused pain beyond any that Glinda had ever known. As the Dementers swooped around the blonde, she finally cried out. "No," she screamed. "ELPHIE!"

**Haha. I'm evil, aren't I? Well, not that evil. And I promise poor Elphie will only get hurt one more time. **

**Coming up: Another person is let in on Elphaba and Glinda's secret.**

**-Wolfie**


	16. The Winner Takes It All

**The title for chapter fifteen is from…Cats. Congrats to Easterly Winds, Green Eyes, Vicster200, and CardboardCreative. **

**I didn't like this chapter too much, and I didn't want to wait for Mara to beta before posting, since she's sick and you'll have to wait for Oz-knows-how-long. **

**Ah well. It'll have to do. I wrote almost the whole chapter in a car ride coming back from Vancouver. That's my excuse. **

**And…we've passed the halfway mark. Including this chapter, there are fifteen chapters to go. **

**For lack of anything better to say…WOOT! Sorry, random, I know. I should be working on my history essay, not fanfiction.**

There's been some sort of problem with it won't let me upload. So...I exported a chaper and copied/pasted chapter 16 into that chapter. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 16: The Winner Takes It All _

"Okay," Elphaba clarified. "So…we have proof that a secret weapon _does_ actually exist."

"Yes," Dumbledore said patiently. "McNair confirmed that in the interrogation. However, he did not say what the weapon actually was."

"So, we're basically back where we began," Elphaba sighed. "Wonderful." She paused. She, Dumbledore, Harry, and Snape had just spent the last ten minutes discussing the information that they had been able to procure from McNair, most of which was not useful at all. "Harry, have you had any luck in reading the Grimmerie?" she asked as the thought came to her.

"Sometimes," Harry replied uncertainly. "I can read the 'words' on some days, but on others, the scribbles don't look like anything that is even remotely legible."

"Figures," Snape said. "Potter can't even _read_, Fae."

"Snape!" Elphaba snapped. "On the days that you can't read it, are you usually stressed or unable to concentrate for some reason?" Elphaba looked back at Harry.

Harry frowned in concentration, trying to remember back. "I…think so," he said hesitantly. "Probably. Usually, after I've received bad new about Death Eater activity, then I can't read the Grimmerie at all."

"That's it, then." Elphaba reverted back into teacher mode. "You need intense concentration to read the spells. If your mind wanders for even a moment, you won't be able to discern the words."

"Clear my mind, concentrate…this sounds like Occlumentary all over again," Harry said. "At least you're not Snape, though." He grinned. Snape scowled and looked like he was itching to curse Harry.

"Sure," Elphaba agreed, letting the Snape comment slide. "This could be like Occlumentary in a way- except that you have to open your mind instead of close it."

"Speaking about Occlumentary," Dumbledore interrupted, "have you received any visions from Voldemort, Harry?"

"Not really," Harry answered. "Should I be? I'm Occluding my mind every night- Voldemort shouldn't be able to invade my mind at all."

"Well, it's just that-" Dumbledore paused. "Never mind. It's not fair for me to ask that of you."

"What?" Harry asked, curious. "What do you want me to do?"

"It's just that…with Severus out of the Inner Circle…" Elphaba had never seen Dumbledore as nervous as he was now. "…we need information about the Death Eaters, information that we don't have a way to get."

"Oh," Harry sighed. "I see. You want me to let Voldemort invade my mind, so that we can find out his plans."

"I'm sorry Harry," Dumbledore finally said after a long silence. "Forget I ever mentioned it."

"No," Harry interrupted. "I'll do it. Like you said, there's no other way."

"Are you crazy, Dumbledore?" Snape snapped. "Potter can't take any visions- with the amount of Dark energy surrounding the Dark Lord, it would drive him crazy within a week."

"Oh, so you do care for me?" Harry teased.

"Of course not," Snape fired at his ex-student. "I merely wish to keep you alive for the Final Battle."

"Severus!" Dumbledore admonished. "That was uncalled for. And Harry, as I said, you don't have to do it."

"No," Harry said stubbornly. "I will. Once a week?"

"Or even twice a week," Dumbledore replied. "You'll need to be supervised, though, incase the pain in your scar gets too bad. Perhaps Poppy-"

Before Harry could object to being under the care of the overbearing Hogwarts nurse (as Elphaba knew would be the case), the door of the office opened with a loud bang and Fiyero came racing in, out of breath.

"Dumbledore!" he gasped, bending over and putting his hands on his knees. "Dementors! Outside! By the lake!"

"What?" Elphaba demanded, standing up. "How many? How did they get onto the grounds?"

"I don't know. And there are a fair few. Twenty, at least. But Elphaba…Glinda's outside. I saw her-" Elphaba blanched. Not even waiting for Fiyero to finish his sentence, she bolted out the door and down the hallways, hoping that she wouldn't be too late.

The words 'Dementors' and 'Glinda' echoed over and over in her head, and her heart pounded wildly inside her chest. Finally, she reached the front doors of Hogwarts. She dashed out onto the grounds, holding her wand out in front of her. She could feel the beginnings of the cold that accompanied the Dementors' arrival.

As she reached the lake, Elphaba heard Glinda's shriek. "Hold on!" she gasped, looking for where Glinda might be. Seeing a huddled lump by the edge of the lake, Elphaba took off towards it. Without warning, a Dementor swooped in between her and Glinda.

"Expecto Patronum!" Elphaba yelled, sending a silver panther towards the offending dark and cloaked figure. The Dementor glided away and Elphaba breathed a sigh of relief. She ran toward the shivering figure of her girlfriend and knelt down besides her. Suddenly, she herself was assaulted by her own memories as the Dementor arrived back with reinforcements.

Elphaba gritted her teeth, trying her best to push these unwelcome memories out. Pulling out her wand, she roared, "Expecto Patronum!" Once again, the panther chased the Dementors away, this time for good.

"Glinda," Elphaba breathed, noting how pale Glinda looked. She took off her cloak and covered the still form of the good witch. "Glinda, are you alright?"

"So cold," Glinda whimpered, not quite recovered from the effects of the dementors.

"I know, I know," Elphaba tried to warm Glinda up a bit by drawing the good witch closer to herself. "We should get you to Madame Pomphrey. Chocolate really helps the after-effects of dementors. Can you stand?" Taking Glinda's silence as a 'no', Elphaba bent down and scooped the blonde into her arms.

Glinda whimpered and buried her face in Elphaba's arms. She was slightly aware that she was acting terribly childish, but at this point, she didn't really care. She let Elphaba's familiar scent permeate her mind, soothing and reassuring her. She desperately needed the assurance that Elphaba _wasn't_ dead, that she was right there next to her.

Elphaba looked down at the still form of Glinda as she carried her through the echoing halls of Hogwarts. She wondered what memories the Dementors had evoked in Glinda to make her react this severely. Elphaba hugged Glinda closer to her, hoping to transfer some form of comfort to the other her.

Finally, the green witch arrived at the Hospital Wing. "Madame Pomphrey!" she called urgently, setting Glinda on a vacant bed. Glinda immediately curled into a ball. She felt clammy and slightly dizzy, as if she had a fever. "Madame Pomphrey!" Elphaba yelled again.

"Yes, yes, Thropp," the nurse replied from inside her office. "I'm coming. What did you do now?"

"Dementors!" Elphaba snapped. "There were dementors outside. And Glinda was severely affected."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Pomphrey asked, bustling out of her office, a piece of chocolate in her hand. Elphaba slipped a hand under Glinda's back and eased her up.

"Here, Glin," she said. "Eat this. It'll help. Trust me." Glinda frowned, but took the offered chocolate. Immediately, she felt the effects of the dementors give way to the relaxing warmth that the chocolate brought.

"Thanks," Glinda whispered.

"Now, Thropp, where were you during all this?" Pomphrey demanded, breaking off another piece from the chocolate bar.

"Well, I-" Elphaba began.

"Fighting the dementors, perhaps?" Pomphrey hinted. "Sit down. Here." She held out another piece of chocolate. "And why were there dementors on school grounds, anyhow?"

"I'm fine," Elphaba insisted. However, she took the nurse's advice and pulled up a chair next to Glinda. "And I don't know why there were dementors. But I intend to find out."

"Miss Upland," Pomphrey turned to Glinda. "Do you think you'll need to stay here tonight? In my professional opinion, it would be best if you did, seeing that this was your first time encountering dementors- I would like to observe you to make sure that they didn't have any lasting effects on you."

"I-I think I'll be fine," Glinda said hesitantly.

"You're sure, Glinda?" Elphaba pressed.

"Yes," Glinda replied steadily.

Madame Pomphrey began to say something, but Elphaba beat her to it. "Look, Madame Pomphrey," she bargained, "if Glinda begins to feel bad, we'll come right back."

"We'll?" the nurse asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well…you don't expect me to leave Glinda alone now, do you?" Elphaba quickly covered.

"Good point," Pomphrey agreed. "Still, I'd like you both to stay here for the rest of the afternoon."

"Alright," Elphaba sighed, knowing that she was going to get a lot more trouble if she disagreed. With this assurance from the green woman, Pomphrey shot her a warning glance before turning to leave.

"I'm sorry, Elphaba," Glinda finally whispered.

"Sorry?" Elphaba looked at her girlfriend and furrowed her brow in confusion. "Sorry for what?"

"For dragging you into this," Glinda explained. "For making you face those dementors. For not being strong enough to fight them."

"What?" Elphaba asked, truly perplexed now. "Glinda, dementors hardly effect me anymore. But…what memories did they stir up for you? It's just that, well, I've never seen anyone become so affected by those creatures before. Except for Harry, of course. When she noticed Glinda's hesitation, Elphaba quickly added, "If you don't want to, you don't have to tell me, of course."

Glinda bit her lip, unsure of whether she wanted to burden Elphaba with her worst memories. To stall for time, she asked Elphaba, "Do you know what Harry's worst memory is?"

"Yes," Elphaba admitted. "It's the night when his parents were killed by Voldemort. He sees his mother begging Voldemort to spare him."

"That explains it, then," Glinda sighed.

"What explains what?" Elphaba questioned.

"Well, one of my memories is-is your-" Glinda broke off, unable to continue her thought.

Elphaba immediately understood. "Oh Glinda." Elphaba tried to comfort the distraught blonde. "I should apologize, then. For not letting you know about the true nature of my 'death.'"

"It felt so real," Glinda didn't meet Elphaba's gaze. "I was back there in Kiamo Ko all over again. I could hear your scream so clearly."

"Glinda, look at me," Elphaba commanded. When Glinda continued to stare at her blankets, Elphaba put a hand under Glinda's chin and gently pushed her face up. "Glinda, that's what dementors do. They _make_ you relieve your memories. You are not weak. Dementors feed off your happy thoughts, leaving you with nothing but your worst memories."

"Elphaba, w-what do you see when the dementors are near?" Glinda asked.

Elphaba thought for a moment. "Well, it's generally a mishmash of several different events, but…the most prominent one, I suppose, is when I first realized that the Wizard was a fraud. I remember that I had had such high hopes for a life working with the Wizard and finally being accepted by Oz, and then, to have those hopes ripped out from under me…Well, anyway, enough about me. You were the one that was affected today."

There was another silence. Without realizing it, both witches leaned into each other for a kiss. However, just before their lips met, the door slammed behind them. Elphaba and Glinda separated, but not quickly enough.

"What was that?" Harry asked, a smirk on his face.

"What was…what?" Elphaba asked innocently.

"You know perfectly well what I was talking about," Harry continued to smirk.

"Oh, that," Glinda said with a nervous laugh. "Well, you see, um…Elphie had…had something in her eye."

Harry laughed. "Of course." He grinned. "Hey Fae, could I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"Okay," Elphaba agreed, standing up and following Harry out of the Hospital Wing.

"You're alright, right?" Harry said as soon as the door closed.

Elphaba sighed. "Honestly why does _everyone_ insist on asking me that all the time?"

"Because you sure don't stop to ask yourself that." Harry was quick to offer an explanation. "But seriously. Are you?"

"Yeah," Elphaba reassured the Boy-Who-Lived. "Glinda was the only one affected by those dementors. Speaking of dementors, _why_ were they on school grounds?"

"Voldemort's getting bolder, I suppose," Harry answered. "That's the best answer I can give you now, anyway."

"Oh, that's just the news I wanted to hear," Elphaba said sarcastically, turning to go back into the Hospital Wing.

"Hold it, Fae." Harry put a hand on Elphaba's shoulder, stopping her. "Don't think you're getting off so easily. What's the deal with you and Glinda?"

"Harry, I have no idea what you're talking about," Elphaba started.

"Sure you don't." Harry rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I don't mind if you two are in a relationship."

"You don't?" Elphaba asked before clapping a hand over her mouth.

"So…you _are_ in a relationship?" Harry said in triumph. Elphaba didn't say anything, but the look on her face gave it all away. "Ha!" Harry grinned. "I knew it! It was only too obvious at that Christmas party, when Glinda kissed you. You looked like you were enjoying yourself a _bit_ too much."

"I…what?" Elphaba asked. "I was _not_. Incase you have short term memory loss, Harry, I was the one that pulled away."

"Yes, but you were also the one that let the kiss go on for about ten seconds before pulling away," Harry laughed.

"I was…in shock," Elphaba snapped. "Do you normally have girls come and kiss you on the mouth all the time? But…Harry, don't tell anyone, alright? I'm scared that Voldemort is going to somehow attempt to use Glinda to capture me if he hears about this."

"Don't worry," Harry reassured her. "Your secret is safe with me. Although…Hermione owes me five galleons!"

Then, he took off, with Elphaba right behind him. "Harry James Potter! Don't you dare!"

**Coming up: The Dueling Club and another report about our favorite green witch for our favorite Dark Lord. **

**-Wolfie **


	17. Be Prepared

**The title for chapter sixteen is from…Mamma Mia. Congrats to Easterly Winds, X-Kate-X, CardboardCreative, GoldenWlf, RECblue8, Vicster200, Yank2324, Firstlady1408, and LeiaSedai and EragonEldest. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

**I seriously had problems with this chapter, so yesterday, I "productively wasted time" in my religion class and just plowed through it. Hope it turned out okay. I liked writing the Harry/Elphaba banter, though.**

_Chapter 17: Be Prepared_

It was damp and cool. Water dripped slowly from the ceilings and ran down the grey stone walls. The sound of the water echoed in the freezing room. The only movement in the room was that of a slight turn of the head accompanied with a soft hissing sound.

The snake wound its way almost compassionately around the man's chair, finally coming to a rest by his shoulder. The man continued to hiss to the snake, who responded to his questions. Then, the man stood up, crossed the room to the door which was almost hidden within the grey walls, and opened it. "Come in, my loyal Death Eaters," Voldemort ordered.

He reseated himself upon his chair, watching amusedly as the Inner Circle Death Eaters humbly prostrated themselves at the Dark Lord's feet. _Malfoy was right,_ Voldemort reflected. _The Order member _did_ make a loyal Death Eater. Dumbledore will never know what hit him…_Stopping this train of thought was difficult, seeing that for Voldemort, thinking about Dumbledore's demise was like a young child imagining a sweet shop filled with treats of every kind. However, there would be plenty of time for gloating later. Right now, he needed information of a different sort.

"It has been a little over a week since we last convened," Voldemort began slowly. "And thus, it has been exactly nine days since I gave you the assignment of watching Thropp. Nine days should have been _more_ than sufficient, my precious spy. Tell me, what have you found out about our target?"

"My Lord, I thought you said that I would have a month-" the spy began.

"Nine days should have been _more than sufficient_," Voldemort repeated dangerously.

"Well, my Lord," the spy began, "I have not been able to follow Thropp around much. After the battle at the Ministry, she has stayed in her rooms most of the time, and I do not know her password, so I was not able to enter. When I _was_ able to observe her, however, I could not find anything out of the ordinary about her-"

Before the Death Eater could finish his report, an angry Voldemort had cast a Cruciatus Curse on the spy in the Order. "I don't _care_ about extraordinary things!" Voldemort seethed. "I want general information about her. Everyday things, if you will. Your incompetence never ceases to amaze me. Perhaps I should ask another of my more proficient Death Eaters to complete the job."

"Wait, my Lord," the spy gasped. "I was not able to finish. As I was saying, I continued to watch Thropp, after she recovered from her injuries at the battle."

"And what were those injuries?" the Dark Lord questioned, wondering how strong the green woman really was.

"Thropp suffered from a slight concussion after the battle, due to being thrown into the wall. She was unconscious for three days, I believe, but other than that, there were no immediate problems other than those that one would receive after a typical battle," the Death Eater dutifully reported.

"Interesting," Voldemort muttered, more to himself than to his followers around him. "So…are you implying that after dueling and stalling McNair, who happens to be one of the best duelers in England, Thropp suffered nothing more than a slight head injury?"

"Yes, my Lord. Perhaps we could use this against her. From what I've observed in the five years that I've known her, she is reckless in battle-"

"Quiet!" Voldemort snapped. "I have observed that myself. While she is reckless, she is also a good dueler. We would not be able to accomplish anything. No…we need some kind of…prize. Something to hold over her head. But what? What is something that Thropp values above everything- something that she would willingly give her life for?"

The Death Eaters were all silent for a moment, trying to dredge up memories of the mysterious green woman that they kept meeting on the battlefields. Then, the spy spoke up again. "What about…Glinda Upland?"

"Is this the woman you spoke of earlier?" Voldemort demanded. "The one from Oz who came here to help Dumbledore?"

"Yes, the very same," the spy agreed. "She and Thropp seem to have a very close relationship."

"Define 'close,'" Voldemort narrowed his eyes. Perhaps this could be used this his advantage.

"Upland seems to care extraordinarily for Thropp, and vice versa. While Thropp was unconscious in the Hospital Wing, Upland didn't leave her side for three days straight," the Death Eater said.

"And you think she could be used to capture Thropp?" Voldemort clarified.

"There is merely one problem with this little plan of yours," Malfoy's condescending voice irked the spy.

"And what would that be, Malfoy?" the spy spat, angry at the interruption.

"Why, the fact that none of us, except for you, has ever seen Upland." Malfoy sneered at the Order member. _Pathetic_, he thought. "How do you suppose we capture her? From what I've previously heard of her, she never sets foot outside the Hogwarts Grounds. Are you perhaps suggesting that we storm Hogwarts and take her? We might as well kill Thropp, Potter, _and_ Dumbledore while we're at it, then."

"Correct, Malfoy, as usual," Voldemort's lips curled up into thin, cold smile. "So…what do _you_ propose we do?"

"Continue watching Thropp," Malfoy said smoothly. "Perhaps we will be able to find something else we can use to capture her. Although it might take longer, it would certainly be less risky that what he," Malfoy nodded at the spy, "has recommended."

Voldemort nodded approvingly. "Malfoy, consider yourself in charge of finding more information about Thropp," he ordered. "Perhaps you could teach our spy a lesson on exactly _how_ to spy." He then dismissed all of the Death Eaters, bar one.

Once the door was closed, he turned to the lone, quivering man in his presence. "Pettigrew, use your rat animagus to spy at Hogwarts. Bring back any information, whether it seems pointless or not. Now go. And remember, no one is to know about this." Giving a short nod, the Death Eater transformed into the rat shape he was known for and disappeared. Finally, all was silent in the hideout once again.

* * *

There was an unusual sense of excitement in the Great Hall as students gathered the dueling platform that had been set up in lieu of the House tables. Dumbledore had made an announcement during dinner the previous night about a new 'Dueling Club' that was to be taught by the famous Auror, Harry Potter. Needless to say, most of the students were immediately taken and decided immediately to go to the Club.

Harry, however, had not been so amused. As per Dumbledore and Elphaba's mysterious request, he had stayed at Hogwarts until dinner was over, only to find out that he was now in charge of a dueling club that he knew absolutely _nothing_ about. He had looked over to the green witch, only to find her giving him a smug smile. _Well, fine. If she wanted to play that game…_

Finally, at exactly seven o'clock, the students quieted down, and Harry walked onto the platform, keeping an eye out for Elphaba. He'd seen her come in earlier and hoped that she hadn't left. "Hello," Harry began. "As you might have heard, I am complete rubbish at giving eloquent speeches, so I'm going to keep it simple…welcome to the Dueling Club."

It was at this point that he noticed Elphaba leaning against the wall, and so, Harry put his wonderful plan of revenge into action. "Since there are so many students, I obviously will not be able to teach you all together at one time. Thus, I would like to introduce- or re-introduce, seeing that some of you may already have her as a teacher- my assistant, Professor Fae Thropp, who has graciously volunteered her time to help me with my lessons and demonstrations." The students all looked around for the Dueling Professor, who, at this present moment, did not wish to be found.

"Elphie," Glinda whispered to Elphaba, "I thought you said you weren't teaching this club."

"I thought so too," Elphaba replied darkly, glaring at the Boy-Who-Lived. "Apparently, Harry had a different idea." She rolled her eyes, and while imagining all the ways she could murder Harry, made her way up to the platform and stood next to said Auror.

"Ah, there you are, Fae," Harry said cheerfully. He then quickly whispered, "Don't you remember your little promise?"

"What promise?" Elphaba snapped back.

"I said that I would duel you for a demonstration," Harry reminded her. "Well, I'm making good on that promise today. Are you ready, oh great esteemed professor?"

"Yes, but I didn't think- fine," Elphaba sighed. "And alright. I'll duel you now. Good luck."

"I think you'll need the luck, Fae," Harry smirked. "I'm not an Auror for nothing, you know. I'm _trained_ in dueling." He turned to the students and raised his voice. "For my first demonstration, you are going to see a proper duel between Professor Thropp and I. Keep in mind that our intentions are _not_ to kill." Harry grinned. "Only to maim." As Elphaba gave Harry a stern look, Harry relented. "Alright. Fine. Sorry. Fae and I are merely going to try and disarm the other. That should be the _only_ goal in this room at all times. Is that understood?"

Harry and Elphaba faced each other in the center of the platform and gave a slight bow to the other. "You know," Elphaba muttered to Harry, "I've never bowed to a Death Eater before dueling them."

Harry shrugged. "It's tradition," he replied. With a quick nod to Elphaba, he walked backwards a few steps, not taking his eyes off the green witch.

Elphaba didn't wait. "Expelliarmous!"

Harry merely flicked the curse away, as if it were an annoying fly. "Cheating, now, are we?" he asked. "

"I do what I can," Elphaba answered modestly. She ducked to the side as Harry quickly sent two curses in her direction.

"Stupefy!" She feigned a shot to Harry's right, but then quickly moved her wand so that the spell shot to the left instead.

"You think I'd fall for that trick?" Harry taunted, grinning. "I told you, didn't I? You're going to need all the luck that you can get. Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry and Elphaba continued on in this way for about ten more minutes. Seeing that their skills were evenly matched, neither of them could find an opening in the other's defenses. However, Harry was right. He _was_ an Auror, which meant that he was trained to have a lot more endurance than the normal witch or wizard.

Thus, he did not send a lot of offensive spells towards Elphaba; rather, he let her try and disarm him and tire herself out. Elphaba realized this a little too late. Harry finally sent two or three spells in quick succession at Elphaba. Elphaba was able to dodge the first two, but unluckily for her, the last spell, a Tripping Jinx, was dead-on. She was unable to regain her footing and went down hard onto the platform. Harry took advantage of her loss of concentration and disarmed her.

"Good duel," Harry said, walking over and helping Elphaba up amid the cheering of the students.

"Thanks. You too," Elphaba replied, gingerly standing on her right ankle, which had had most of her weight thrown on it when she had fallen. "Could I have my wand back?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry," Harry muttered, handing Elphaba the eleven inch stick. He turned to look at the students. "Well, that is what a normal duel looks like. Although, don't get any ideas. There is to be no dueling like that in here. At least, not for the first few lessons. Believe me, that will only end up in disaster."

"Lockhart?" Elphaba whispered, raising an eyebrow.

Harry nodded slightly. "Long story," he mouthed. "Later."

"Fine," Elphaba said. She took charge of the dueling club. "Okay, there are several options that one can take when faced with a Death Eater," she began, pacing slightly. "Mr. Dawes," she randomly pointed to a second-year Ravenclaw. "What would you do if you suddenly found yourself facing a group of Death Eaters?"

"Um…run?" Dawes guessed. He found himself at the receiving end of laughter and teasing from a greater part of the students.

"Quiet!" Harry interrupted the laughter. "Mr. Dawes is absolutely right. You run."

"Isn't that the coward's way out?" a Gryffindor asked, scoffing.

"That's the _smart_ way out," Elphaba corrected. "Mr. Dawes is a second-year student, and as such, he has no possible way of defeating the Death Eaters in a duel. Therefore, the correct thing to do would be to run. It is better to be smart and alive than brave, but dead."

Harry coughed and muttered something suspiciously like, "You should start taking your own advice." Elphaba ignored him.

"But isn't that what you're going to teach us?" the Gryffindor continued. "How to duel and win against Death Eaters?"

This time, it was Harry that spoke up. "No. While going through Auror training, the emphasis was not on fighting and winning in battles. It was on _surviving_. And that is what Professor Thropp and I are going to attempt to teach you. How to survive. Not how to win duels. Perhaps dueling will be involved, as that will definitely give you a surer chance of survival, but the key word here is to survive an encounter with the Death Eaters. And I must say that Mr. Dawes is definitely off to a good start."

"Now, Mr. Dawes," Elphaba interrupted. "You say that you would run, right?" When the Ravenclaw nodded, Elphaba asked, "How would you run?"

"What do you mean, professor?" Dawes questioned. "I'd run fast."

Harry couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him. Elphaba shot a glare at him. "You're _not_ helping," she snapped.

"Fine." Harry sighed before turning serious again. "No Mr. Dawes. I think Professor Thropp means something along the lines of: 'In what pattern would you run?' Would you run in a straight line?"

"No, sir," Dawes said nervously. "I'd try to be unpredictable so that the Death Eaters wouldn't know where to shoot their spells."

"Exactly," Harry agreed. "It would be best to run in a zig-zag pattern. It would be harder for the Death Eaters to hit you will a spell if you ran in an unpredictable pattern than if you ran in a straight line."

"Alright." Elphaba took over. "Seeing as you know now exactly what we're going to be teaching in here, you now have a few days before the next meeting to decide if you want to come. Do not come unless you are willing to actually learn how to survive against Death Eaters. Not duel. The next meeting is in three days. Thank you."

With that, she turned and slipped off the dueling platform as the students began to talk and leave to their Common Rooms. Harry followed her.

"It looks like you have this whole teaching thing down," Harry teased. "I don't think you need me to come next time, right?"

"No way," Elphaba answered. "I'm just 'volunteering', remember? You're the one that actually has to teach this club. Perhaps we should change the name to the 'Survival Club' instead of the 'Dueling Club.'"

"You're lucky I'm so good at improving, though," Harry reminded her and walking with her back to her rooms. "After all, I only found out _tonight_ that I'm running this club.

"_You're_ good at improving?" Elphaba glared. "I would think that _I'm_ good at improving. After all, I'm the one that ran most of tonight's club. Not to mention the fact that you volunteered me without my knowing."

"So you acknowledge that you ran the club? Meaning that you don't need me?" Harry said.

"Harry James Potter, I said nothing of the sort…"

* * *

"My Lord," Pettigrew bowed, "I have come back with a report."

"Continue," Voldemort said impatiently.

"I entered Hogwarts and witnessed a 'Dueling Club' that was taught by Potter and Thropp. They dueled, and I believe that if Thropp hadn't been so impulsive in the beginning, she could have beaten Potter, or at least come close to it."

"So…what are you saying?" Voldemort snapped.

"I think that Thropp needs to be captured or destroyed before she gets another chance to attack us," Pettigrew said hesitantly.

"Thank you, Pettigrew. That is what I wished to know. You shall be rewarded," Voldemort said softly. "Go call our spy in. If he can not perform a simple spy mission, perhaps he will be more useful in a simple murder mission."

Once Pettigrew had left, Voldemort chuckled softly. "Soon, Thropp," he said to no one in particular. "Your days are numbered."

**Coming up: Poison and worry**

**And I have a History SAT II test coming up next Saturday (May 5), so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to update between now and then. Sorry that it happened at such a cliffhanger-ish point. Wish me good luck. :P**

**-Wolfie**


	18. Unsettled Scores

**The title for chapter seventeen is from…Lion King. Congrats to Vicster200, X-Kate-X, Easterly Winds, LeiaSedai and EragonEldest, Yank2324, CardboardCreative, Firstlady1408, Kalia, and Wickedgreenchild.**

**I promise the title for this chapter will be harder. I hope. And it's not beta-ed, since Mara's internet has died. Or something like that.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 18: Unsettled Scores_

The spy grumbled to himself as he made his way down to the kitchens. How dare Pettigrew steal his glory? Thropp was his assignment. That…that _rat_ had no business in doing his assignment for him. Well, he'd show Pettigrew. In fact, he'd show them all! _He _was going to be the one to kill the green witch. He was going to receive praise from his Master, and then, he'd be the one to rise above them all.

By this time, the spy had arrived at the Hogwarts kitchen. He paused before entering and pulled out a small vile of a sickly green liquid. Sticklewood juice. Two drops would kill someone in thirty seconds. The wonderful thing about this juice was that it was completely untraceable by the normal witch or wizard. It would dissolve in any liquid and leave nothing but a clear coloration.

_It really is rather ironic_, the spy though sardonically, _that the green Order member is going to be killed by a green poison_.

He then turned the handle that had appeared on the portrait of fruit guarding the entrance of the kitchen and let himself in. He was immediately surrounded by a cluster of house elves. "Welcome to the kitchen," one of them squeaked. "How can we serve you?"

"Are you serving drinks at the Order meeting today?" the spy asked bluntly.

"Yes sir, we are," the house elf replied.

With a sinister smile, the spy handed the vile of Stickleroot Juice to the house elf. "Could you please slip this into Fae Thropp's drink? It's a supplementary nutrient potion that she has been needing."

"As you wish sir," the house elf said, taking the poison and pocketing it. "Do you wish for me to tell Miss Thropp that I have received this-"

"No, no," the spy hastily interrupted the house elf. "If Th-Fae knows that she's consuming any kind of supplementary potion, she won't drink it. Madame Pomphrey told me to give this to her secretly to help clear up any side effects from the…cold she had a month ago."

"Of course," the house elf bowed again. "Is there anything else, sir?"

"No, nothing else." The spy turned to leave. "Thank you for your time." Once he was outside again, he cackled slightly. "Enjoy your last few hours, Elphaba Thropp. Enjoy it while you can."

* * *

"Are you saying that the power the Dark Lord knows not resides in _Fae_?" Snape asked. The major Order members (bar Hermione) were currently having a meeting, and Dumbledore was explaining the breakthrough that he, Harry, and Elphaba had found regarding the Grimmerie and Harry's power to read it.

Harry sighed in aggravation. "No, Snape. That is _not_ what Dumbledore is saying. He is saying that _I_ have to power to read this 'lost language', as does Fae. That is the power that 'the Dark Lord knows not'."

Before Snape could reply, several house elves appeared with the drinks that the Order members had requested. "Here is your water, Miss Thropp," one of the house elves said, bowing.

"Thank you," Elphaba replied, taking the drink and setting it down on the table.

"As you were saying?" Fiyero prompted Harry, interested in this new development.

"When I looked at the Grimmerie," Harry explained with a forced patience, "I could read the spells. Seeing that Fae says that only a very small amount of people in Oz can read these spells, we think that the Grimmerie may be the key to defeating Voldemort."

Elphaba picked up her water glass and raised it to her lips.

"Have you looked for a spell in there yet?" Fiyero asked with a frown.

She half-gestured with the glass. "No, not yet," Elphaba answered for Harry. "We've been working on reading the different spells, as Harry still needs to accustom himself to the language, but we haven't actually looked for a specific spell that would defeat Voldemort yet."

"How do you know-" Snape began before he was once again interrupted, this time by the door opening.

"Hermione!" Harry said, looking up at his old friend. "Where have you been? The meeting started half an hour ago."

"Sorry I'm late," the witch replied apologetically. "I was held up at St. Mungo's. Some idiot Splinched himself while Apparating."

"That's fine, Hermione," Dumbledore reassured her. "Have a seat. We were just discussing the spells in the Grimmerie."

"What about it?" Hermione asked, pulling out a chair next to Elphaba, but not sitting down.

"We think may hold the key to defeating Voldemort," Elphaba explained briefly.

Hermione's eyes went wide. "But…" she started, then coughed and cleared her throat. "Er, sorry, my throat's really dry. It's sometimes impossible to be heard without yelling at St. Mungo's, you know. Could I have something to drink?"

Elphaba realized she was still holding the glass of water. "Here, I haven't had a sip yet."

"No, I'll order her a drink," Fiyero said quickly.

Elphaba ignored her ex-boyfriend's comment and gave Hermione the glass of water, who gratefully took the glass and drank it down far too quickly. Hermione gagged. She started coughing and out came most of the water she had just swallowed.

"Whoa, there!" Fiyero said, trying to get out of the way of the waterfall coming from Hermione's mouth.

The witch straightened and wiped her face, "I'm sorry, I guess it went down the wrong pipe or some…" She abruptly stopped mid-word as her face quickly turned pale.

Harry's eyebrows furrowed. "Hermione, are you okay?"

Hermione frowned. "I feel…so strange," she whispered. Elphaba quickly stood up and felt Hermione's forehead.

However, Hermione clutched her throat and shook her head before she slumped into Elphaba's arms.

"What the _hell_ was in that cup?" Harry demanded, picking up the glass that Hermione had dropped.

Snape grabbed the cup out of Harry's hand and held it up to his face. He noticed the faint odor of berries, something which was prevalent in…"Sticklewood Juice," he said after half a minute. "A fast-acting poison- one of the fastest ones on the market. Luckily, she coughed a lot of that water out, or she would be dead. Fae, you have one of the fastest Animagus forms. Transform and go find me a beozar in my potion stores a floor below us. It can be used against most potions. I've never tried it with Sticklewood Juice, though. Go!" With a tense nod, Elphaba transformed into her black panther form and dashed out of the room.

"_Poisoned?"_ As Snape was talking to Elphaba, the other Order members were all shocked and rushed over to assist Hermione, although crowding around Hermione probably did more harm than good.

"Move aside!" Snape growled as soon as Elphaba had left. "None of you are helping right now! We need to take her to Madame Pomphrey as soon as Fae gets back."

A moment later, Elphaba ran in, a beozar held carefully in her jaws. Snape took said beozar and put it into Hermione's slightly open mouth. "This should keep Granger stable until we get her to the Hospital Wing."

Without another word, Elphaba transformed back into her human form, silently lifted Hermione up, and left the room, leaving a still shocked Harry, Fiyero and Glinda to chase after her.

* * *

After the worried Order members had made sure that made sure that Hermione was going to be alright, they began to dissipate. Glinda stood by the corner, waiting for Elphaba, but the green witch shook her head. "I'll come later, Glinda," she said softly. "I'll meet you in my rooms or something."

Glinda didn't move. "Elphie, are you all right?" she asked, sending a worried looks towards her girlfriend.

"Yes, I'm fine," Elphaba sighed, trying to reassure Glinda. Glinda, however, knew enough about Elphaba to know that Elphaba was definitely _not_ fine. Lurline knows that Elphaba had lied about her well-being enough in the past.

Thus, she put her hands on her hips and glared at Elphaba. "No, you are not 'fine', Elphaba. You are anything _but_ fine. Now, what's bothering you?"

"_Nothing_," Elphaba stressed, slightly agitated.

Before Glinda could argue further, Harry walked out of the Hospital Wing and closed the door behind him.

"Well?" Elphaba asked anxiously. "How is Hermione?"

"As well as can be expected," Harry replied. "She's awake, if you wanted to see her. I heard some kind of argument out here; what's going on?"

"Elphie is being stubborn," Glinda immediately said.

Harry grinned. "Really? Our Fae? Stubborn? I'd never have guessed." He ignored the glare that Elphaba sent him. "What is she being stubborn about?"

"Something's bothering her," Glinda explained. "And she won't let me help her."

"I know what's bother you." Harry turned to Elphaba.

"How could _you_ know?" Elphaba scoffed.

"Please, Fae, I haven't been your friend for five years for nothing." Harry waved a hand dismissively. "You're blaming yourself for the poison, aren't you?"

"How-"

"I can read your body language easier than you think," Harry said impatiently. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that you're blaming yourself for things out of your control."

"Harry, _I_ was the one that gave Hermione that water. If I hadn't-"

"Then you would be the one in there," Glinda interrupted.

"Or dead," Harry added tactlessly.

"Oh thanks," Elphaba snapped. "I feel loads better now, knowing that my actions could have led to Hermione's death."

"Elphaba Thropp, stop it!" Glinda cried. "For once, would you just _stop_ and listen to what you are saying?" When Elphaba didn't speak, Glinda continued. "You are needlessly blaming yourself for events that could not have been prevented! For Lurline's sake, Elphie, why must you _always_ find a reason to blame yourself? Listen to me for once and know that _not everything is your fault_!

"Yes, maybe you did give Hermione the water, but did you put the poison in the drink? Did you know that someone wanted you dead?" As Elphaba opened her mouth, Glinda cut her off. "No, you didn't, Elphie. All you tried to do was to help a friend. As such, you are entirely blameless in this whole event. Do you understand?"

Harry merely nodded, looking slightly fearful of the small blonde. "What she said," he added.

"I know," Elphaba sighed. "But I still can't help but think- if I hadn't given her the water-"

"Look, Fae," Harry finally said. "Either you accept that this whole deal wasn't your fault or I'll hex you into next week." He slowly pulled his wand out of its hoister. "And don't think I won't, either."

Elphaba paused. "All right," she finally sighed. "You win."

"I want you to _say_ that none of this was your fault," Glinda ordered. "Say it out loud."

"I am not to blame for the events that happened today," Elphaba repeated quietly.

Glinda sighed. Well, it was a start. She could still tell that Elphaba didn't truly believe what she was saying, but well…a start was better than nothing, right? They'd work on that later.

"Where were you two headed?" Harry asked.

"Well," Glinda began, "I was headed back to Elphie's rooms, and Elphie here was headed to…Elphie, where _were_ you going to go, anyhow?"

"Honestly, I wasn't sure," Elphaba admitted. "But I was most likely going to visit Hermione. She _is_ stable, right?" she shot at the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Yes," Harry said. "The beozar saved her. _You_ saved her, Fae."

"Is Pomphrey allowing visitors?" Elphaba didn't wait for an answer as she moved over to the door.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her," Harry shrugged. "I'll come with you and keep a lookout or something."

"Fine," Elphaba agreed. As Glinda walked around the corner, Elphaba attempted to open the door to the Hospital Wing.

However, Harry put his hand over hers, stopping her. He looked seriously at Elphaba. "There's something else, isn't there, Fae?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" Elphaba snapped. "If this is about me blaming myself-"

"No, not that," Harry cut in. "I can tell…something else is bothering you. The blaming yourself is only the surface, isn't it? I didn't want to push you with Glinda around- I could tell you didn't want her to know, but…Fae, all we want to do is to help you. We can't unless you're willing to let us in."

"It's just that…" Elphaba trailed off, unsure of how to put her feelings into words.

"Just say it," Harry coaxed. "Whatever it is, Glinda and I will help. As well as Fiyero, Hermione…everyone. You know that."

"Well, it's slightly…unnerving to find out that someone hates you enough to kill you," Elphaba burst out. "I mean, I know I shouldn't be so surprised, seeing that I _do_ fight against the one of the darkest wizard in England's history, but just being specifically targeted is…"

"I know what you mean," Harry replied. "I really do. I found out that Voldemort wanted to kill me as a baby when I was eleven, remember? It's really quite…scary to find out that someone that is so feared that no one dares to speak his name has a personal grudge against you."

"Well maybe I shouldn't be so surprised," Elphaba said darkly. "I really should be used to it, coming from Oz. Still, I thought that I had escaped all that after my death stunt. Why am I always hunted everywhere I go? Did I somehow manage to piss off some god or deity or something in a past life?"

Glinda, who had been listening to this exchange all the while, stepped around the corner to face Elphaba. "Elphie, no one should be used to being wanted dead," she declared firmly.

"Glinda?" Elphaba was startled. "I thought you were gone."

"You also need to stop hiding things from me," Glinda scowled. "Why did you want to tell me how you _really_ felt?"

"I didn't want to…worry you?" Elphaba said hesitantly.

Glinda glared at the green witch. "This 'worrying me' business really needs to stop, Elphaba. For Lurline's sake, I worry about you on a daily basis. It just comes with knowing you."

"Wonderful," Elphaba replied dryly. "First, I find out that I'm marked for death, then, I find out that I worry everyone that knows me."

"Fae, you have to admit, you _are_ a bit…rash," Harry stated. "We can't help but wonder what insane, suicidal thing you're going to do next."

"I can take care of myself," Elphaba snapped.

"I know you can," Harry answered calmly. "That still doesn't change the fact that we care about you. We're your friends, Fae. And that's what friend do."

Elphaba didn't speak for a moment. Finally, she looked up. "Thanks," she whispered to Harry and Glinda. "I needed that."

"Well, are we going to visit Hermione or not?" Harry said loudly.

Glinda went to open the Hospital door. "I'm coming with you."

Elphaba nodded slightly. "Fine," she replied. "Let's go then." She watched Glinda and Harry walk in slightly before her, and wondered, as she often did, how she deserved to have such wonderful friends.

**Coming up: Easter plans and spies revealed**

**My AP History test (last Saturday was merely the SAT History test) is this Friday, so don't expect any updates from now until then. Which really isn't a long time, if you think about it. :D**

**-Wolfie**


	19. Steppin' To the Bad Side

**The title for chapter eighteen is from…Whistle Down the Wind. A lot more people got it that I thought would…Congrats to X-Kate-X, thedivinemissk, Yank2324, Easterly Winds, CardboardCreative, and RECblue8.**

**CardboardCreative: I know you wanted more fluff, so I attempted to put some in this chapter, but there'll be more in the next chapter. Mara says that shopping and romance should be intertwined, apparently. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own Harry Potter. End of story. **

_Chapter 19: Steppin' To the Bad Side_

Madame Pomphrey shot a _look_ at Harry, Elphaba, and Glinda as they walked into the Hospital Wing. "Mr. Potter, are you corrupting others to barge into the Hospital Wing now? First Dumbledore thinks that Thropp can just go wandering around England after being knocked out for two days-"

_Apparently, Pomphrey still hadn't forgiven me for going to Snape's trial back in November,_ Elphaba thought, amused.

"-and now, you come barging in to bother patients that are still recovering?" Pomphrey finished.

"It's fine," Hermione said hoarsely. "I want to talk to Fae, anyhow." Upon hearing this, Elphaba hung back slightly. Although Harry and Glinda had reassured her that Hermione would definitely not blame her for the events that had led her to be in the Hospital Wing, Elphaba was still insecure and unsure of what Hermione's reaction would be.

"Go on," Glinda pushed Elphaba forward.

Elphaba stumbled forward and stood facing Hermione. "Look, Hermione," Elphaba said before Hermione even opened her mouth. "I'm sorry that I gave you that water. I didn't know that it was poisoned, and I feel really bad that-"

"Fae Thropp!" Hermione cut Elphaba off mid-apology. "Why in the world are you apologizing to me? Or course you didn't know it was poisoned; did you want to poison yourself? And besides, I should be thanking you for saving my life. Snape told me what happened."

"So…you don't blame me?" Elphaba asked hesitantly.

"What do you think?" Hermione replied with a sarcasm that was not normally present. "I couldn't blame you for this, Fae. Now, sit down. I never did find out about the Grimmerie and yours and Dumbledore's findings."

"Oh, that." In light of the recent events, Elphaba had all but forgotten about the first reason that the major Order members had been having a meeting in the first place. "Harry, would you care to show Hermione?"

Before Harry could begin casting the one spell that he had memorized, Pomphrey turned around to yell at him. "There is to be _no_ spell casting in the Hospital Wing, Potter," she ordered. "Especially when said spell is in a foreign language and has no guaranteed consequence."

"It's just a levitation spell," Harry sighed. "Nothing's going to happen."

"On the contrary, Potter, you don't know what will happen. May I remind you that you've only been practicing this new language from Oz for a short while?" the Hogwarts nurse warned. "You haven't mastered it yet, I assume?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Exactly. What if you mispronounce something?" Pomphrey said.

Harry turned to Elphaba. "Fae, if I somehow manage to blow something up, you'll take care of it, right?"

"Perhaps," Elphaba answered seriously. "Or maybe I'll just sit back and let Pomphrey yell at you."

"And I call you my friend," Harry muttered jokingly.

"Wait, Harry!" Hermione's eyes lit up as she was finally able to follow this very strange conversation. "Are you actually able to read and perform the spells from the Grimmerie? I know Fae said that it held the key to defeating Voldemort, but she didn't say anything about _you_ reading the spells."

"We think that this is the power that Trelawney spoke of in the prophecy," Harry replied.

"And there's a spell in the Grimmerie that can defeat the Dark Lord?" Hermione frowned. "Can you read the whole book?"

"No to both questions," Elphaba answered for Harry. "We're working on it; we meet once a week in the library. And I look for spells sometimes as well, but I haven't been able to find anything."

"Harry," Glinda suddenly spoke up. "You need to help me tell Elphie to make sure that she remembers to eat when she researches spells from the Grimmerie."

Harry furrowed his brow. "Why? What do you mean?"

"Elphaba conveniently 'forgets' to eat when she's studying the Grimmerie," Glinda said. "I've tried bringing her food, pestering her, threatening her…nothing works."

Elphaba opened her mouth to defend herself, but Harry spoke first. "Again? I thought we'd gone through this two years ago when you exhausted yourself to the point of fainting. Are you _trying_ to collapse in another class, Fae?"

"I don't see why this is such a big deal," Elphaba snapped, shooting an annoyed look at Glinda. "I'm not starving myself, nor am I not sleeping."

"It's a big deal to me," Glinda sighed in exasperation. "I can honestly see your ribs protruding from your skin at times. It's not healthy to skip meals, Elphaba."

"Miss Thropp, if you come in here again due to another case of severe exhaustion, I can personally guarantee you a lecture that won't even _begin_ to compare with the lectures I've given you thus far," Pomphrey cut in.

"Who says I'm-" Elphaba began hotly. Then, she closed her mouth again.

"I'm glad we have an agreement, then," Harry grinned. "You are to eat _three_ meals everyday, Fae. Or you'll face the wrath of our nurse here."

"Fine," Elphaba grumbled half-heartedly. "I'll eat, then. If it pleases Your Majesty."

There was a silence. Then, Hermione spoke up. "You really care about Fae, don't you, Glinda?"

"Of course I do!" Glinda exclaimed. "After all, Elphie is-"

"Your girlfriend. I know," Hermione finished. "Harry told me."

"You did _what_?" Elphaba almost shouted at Harry. "I thought I told you not to tell _anyone_!"

"Hermione found out first! I swear!" Harry threw his hands up, hoping to placate the murderous looking Elphaba. "She had pretty much guessed before I even found out for sure! I only confirmed what she already knew."

"And how many other people's beliefs have you 'confirmed'?" Elphaba asked through gritted teeth.

"Only Hermione," Harry breathed. "She's the only one I told."

"Not even Ron?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "You didn't tell your best friend?"

"Well, Fae…about that…" Harry sat down, wondering how to best phrase this new problem.

"Yes? Did you and Ron get in a fight or something like that?" Elphaba guessed.

"No…or at least, I don't think so," Harry said hesitantly. "It's just that…Ron's gotten so distant lately. He's never around when I go to his flat to visit him. Mrs. Weasley says that she basically hasn't heard from him since the Christmas party. I tried talking to him about a week ago, but he brushed me off."

"Weird," Elphaba muttered. "I thought he only did that to me. Have you seen him lately?"

"No, not since that two minute chat a week ago," Harry answered. "I'm getting worried about him. It's not like Ron to disappear for days at a time."

"Well, people change," Elphaba reasoned. "Perhaps he'll come back to his senses after time. If he had any to begin with, that is."

"Maybe," Harry said doubtfully. "It's just…strange. That's all."

"And, anyway," Elphaba continued, "why should you care if Ron is disappearing?If he keeps brushing you off all the time, perhaps he doesn't want help."

Glinda noticed Harry's back muscles tense at Elphaba began to rant about his best friend. With a stressed smile, she whispered, "Elphie."

But Elphaba didn't notice, "What's the point of trying to care for someone who keeps disappearing on you? Maybe he doesn't _want_ any help, Harry."

"Elphie!" Glinda said as Harry flinched.

"And if he doesn't want help, then why do you keep trying? You'd just be wasting time and effort on-"

"ELPHABA!" Glinda elbowed her girlfriend in the side, but Elphaba ignored her and kept getting rid of all her pent-up frustrations about the red-headed Order member. Throwing up her arms in annoyance, Glinda muttered, "Oh, for Lurline's sake!" Then, she pulled Elphaba around so that they were facing each other.

Elphaba scowled. "Glinda, I wasn't do-"

Instead of answering the annoyed green witch, Glinda grabbed Elphaba and pressed her mouth against Elphaba's so hard that Elphaba's eyes widened at the raw passion in the kiss. After a moment of shock, Elphaba settled into the kissing. The two girls pressed up against each other, furiously kissing each other with so much enthusiasm that Hermione shut her eyes, "Get a room, you two!"

Harry, on the other hand, was watching Elphaba and Glinda's tongues intertwine with keen interest, "Yeah, save this for the bedroom, Fae," Harry said, although it was clear he didn't really mean it.

Elphaba broke the kiss and smiled at Harry. "Oh it gets much more heated in the bedroom. You're just jealous, Harry."

"Didn't need to know that," Hermione said.

As Elphaba opened her mouth to answer Hermione, the door to the Hospital Wing opened again, and Ron came storming in. "I should have _known_ you were trouble, Thropp!" he yelled, going up to Elphaba.

"What are you going on about _now_?" Elphaba sighed, disentangling herself from Glinda's arms.

"You poisoned Hermione! That's what!" Ron snapped. "And now, to top it all off, you've gone and become a lesbian as well."

"Wait one minute here, Ronald." Hermione sat up and gave Ron her fiercest glare. "How dare you come in here and accuse Fae of 'poisoning me' when you don't even know all the facts? Do you even know what happened?"

"Of course I do," Ron said in a gentler voice, turning to look at Hermione. "Thropp gave you a glass of water that was poisoned. _Didn't you_, Thropp?"

Elphaba was about to retaliate, but Hermione beat her to it. "Ronald Weasley! You are just so…infuriating sometimes. Fae was merely giving me a drink of water. She didn't know that it was poisoned. It could as easily have been her that was poisoned at that meeting."

"And what a great loss _that_ would be," Ron muttered.

This was the final straw for Glinda. She was not going to sit around and let Ron insult Elphaba in front of her. "What problem do you have with Elphaba, Ron? Why do you keep trying to undermine her?"

"She's abnormal, for Merlin's sake. When was the last time _you_ saw a person with green skin?" the red-haired Order member shouted.

"Is _that_ your problem with me?" Elphaba hissed, glaring at Ron. "You hate me because of my skin? Merlin, you're even more immature than I originally thought. How is having green skin any different than having dark skin? You don't have a grudge against Kingsley, do you? Grow up, Weasley. You're not hurting anyone but yourself with your hatred."

"Shut up," Ron shot at Elphaba. "Not only do you have freakishly colored skin, but you're just…sick. You're having sex with another girl, Thropp, if what I heard before I came in here was correct. And that's just wrong."

"I don't believe that my sex life is any of your business," Elphaba said, her voice chilly. "What gives you the right to dictate what is right and wrong?"

Ron ignored Elphaba's question. Instead, he turned to Harry. "Harry, mate. Can't you see my point? I told you the first day we met her that she's trouble. Now, she's completely poisoned your mind."

Harry shook his head. "You're wrong," he whispered, a hint of sadness in his voice. "What's happened to you, Ron? You're the one whose mind has been poisoned. You can't see past Fae's skin to the wonderful person that she really is. What does having green skin or her choice of lovers have anything to do with her personality?"

Ron's mouth dropped open. He had expected at least Harry to back him up.

"Close your mouth, Weasley," Elphaba ordered coldly. "Unless you want to catch flies."

"Do you know why I hate you, Thropp?" Ron snarled. Harry, Hermione, and Glinda watched helplessly as Ron and Elphaba finally faced off in the hospital wing. Harry tensed up incase he needed to intervene in the case of a physical fight.

"Do tell," Elphaba said sarcastically. "I'm _dying_ to know."

"You show up here five years ago, and everyone immediately accepts you. You didn't have to work for what you have. Harry immediately becomes all friendly with you without a second thought and everyone else was pushed aside. And you think that you're so powerful because you can read that stupid spell book from Ox or Oz or wherever you come from. But you know what?

"People only get hurt because of your idiotic stunts. Nothing good comes from your presence in the Order. You're a danger to everyone around you. I'm sure that the people in Oz were _glad_ that they were rid of you." Shooting a last hateful look at the green witch, Ron swept out of the Hospital wing and slammed the door behind him.

Everyone looked at Elphaba, who was still staring at the space where Ron had occupied a moment ago. She didn't speak.

"Elphie?" Glinda asked softly. "Elphie? Talk to me," she pleaded.

Elphaba glanced at Glinda for a moment before turning away. "So it's true," she whispered. "What I was saying all along."

"Fae, _no_," Hermione said forcefully. "Ronald is-" Before Hermione could finish her sentence, Elphaba had rushed out of the Hospital as well and disappeared.

Harry and Glinda jumped up and ran after the green witch. "Elphie, wait!" Glinda screamed as they chased after Elphaba's fleeting figure. "Come back!"

* * *

Lord Voldemort was currently in a rage. "Send him in!" he yelled at the quaking Death Eater by the door. With a slight nod, said Death Eater opened the door and ushered the spy into the room.

"My Lord, I-" the spy began before getting hit with a Cruciatus Curse.

"How dare you fail me?" Voldemort yelled over the spy's screams. "How dare you fail in the attempt to kill Elphaba Thropp? How dare you use such a risky way of killing her? I wanted a clean job. Now, she'll be on her guard."

"W-wait! Wait!" the spy panted as the curse was finally taken off. "I have news about her. I know how you can capture her. Perhaps you will be able to turn her to our side."

"If this plan involves storming Hogwarts-" Malfoy began in a drawling voice.

"Silence, Malfoy!" Voldemort ordered. He looked at the spy, silently telling him to continue.

"I've caught wind of the fact that some of the Order members, including Thropp and Upland, plan to go to Diagon Alley next week to purchase supplies. It's the perfect chance to capture them both. Thropp will tell you anything if you have Upland to hold over her head."

"And you know for sure that Thropp cares for Upland that much?" Voldemort hissed. "Remember that I don't tolerate failure."

"Yes, my Lord," the spy nodded. "In fact, Thropp and Upland aren't merely friends. They're lovers and are currently in a relationship."

"Ah. I see," Voldemort whispered. "Lovers? That could work to our advantage. Thank you, my precious spy. If you are able to bring Thropp to me alive, you shall be rewarded. Who knows? I've heard of your hatred of Thropp. Perhaps you will even be allowed to…play with her a bit."

Ronald Weasley gave a small smirk behind his Death Eater mask. "Nothing would please me more, my Lord. You are most generous."

**Coming up: An innocuous shopping trip turns into so much more…and due to CardboardCreative's request for more fluff, a whole lot of fluff as well. **

**-Wolfie**


	20. Close Every Door

**The title for chapter eighteen is from…Dreamgirls. Congrats to Easterly Winds, Yank2324, CardboardCreative, and LeiaSedai and EragonEldest.**

**maureen is me: Well, actually, I didn't write that part. Mara did. And she says that Fiyero was just trying to be courteous to Hermione and get her a drink instead of having her drink Elphaba's. She merely wrote it in such a way that would make Fiyero seem suspicious. **

**It amuses me how different my Elphaba is from Mara's. She writes a much happier Elphaba and her writing is very fluffy and light (the shopping scene) and my Elphaba is darker/more serious and my writing is way blunter. **

**And if you don't recognize a store in this chapter, it's probably because it's one of Mara's own creation. **

_Chapter 20: Close Every Door_

Glinda gasped. "Whoa!" she said slowly as she looked at the twisting road, lined with exotic-looking and old-fashioned shops.

With a grin, Elphaba nudged Glinda. "I know…Diagon Alley!"

The blond witch started jumping up and down. "Sweet Lurline, this is a magical shopping paradise! Okay, where's the nearest clothing store?"

Instead of responding, Elphaba groaned and gave a weak gesture to a store on their right between the Apothecary and Quality Quidditch Supplies. And with a squeal, Glinda grabbed Elphaba's arm and started dragging her to the colorful shop.

A light pink sign with small flowery olive green writing hung over the matching light pink door. "Renaissance Wear & Ware," Glinda whispered under her breath as she pulled Elphaba into the shop. The blond marched the pair of them past the elaborate swords, painting, and antiques over to where beautiful Renaissance-like dresses hung on the most elaborate metal rods Elphaba had every seen.

Glinda instantly pulled out a pale pink dress with a beautiful cream bodice and held it up to Elphaba, who glared at Glinda with such hatred that no one who saw her glare would have ever thought the two were lovers. "That's such a lovely color with your skin tone!" Glinda breathed admiringly.

"NO," Elphaba said, her voice so determined that Glinda sighed and put the pretty dress back. She quickly pulled out a shiny fairy-like blue dress with big flowing sleeves and a bright pink bodice and squealed a note so high-pitched several other customers in the shop turned to give her looks of pure hatred.

"_I swear to Merlin, if you even suggest that I—"_ Elphaba began in a quiet, forceful tone between clenched teeth, but Glinda cut her off. "Oh, I wouldn't make _you_ wear this! This is for me! Now be a dear and hold it, will you?"

Then, Glinda draped the frighteningly colorful dress over one of Elphaba's arms and continued searching for dresses before Elphaba could say, "No."

Glinda hummed an incredibly cheerful, upbeat melody under her breath as she brushed dresses aside, pulled the most colorful or most pink dresses out, threw them to Elphaba, and continued her search. This pattern continued for nearly ten minutes when Glinda suddenly stopped humming and gasped. She reached into the racks to pull out a dress while Elphaba buried her head in the enormous stack of bright, poofy, sparkly apparel which she was unwillingly holding and wished with all her might that she was _anywhere_ else right then.

But the dress that Glinda pulled out wasn't some shiny ball-gown or puff-sleeved pink thing. Instead, it was a long, ivory-colored, flowing dress with a simple elegance of its own. The blond witch held it up to Elphaba's buried head and smiled. "Yes, off-white! Why didn't I think of it before?"

Elphaba looked up, scared. "Oh, no, you don—"

"Come on, Elphie!" Glinda interrupted her. "You have to try this on!"

And Elphaba was dragged into a stall in the back of the store. Glinda almost slammed the door behind them, making Elphaba wince at the noise as she dumped the enormous stack of dresses Glinda liked on the bench (the dresses, of course, took up all the room on the bench, leaving no place for either of them to sit).

Reluctantly, Elphaba pulled off her black frock and slipped into the ivory dress, half-wishing she hadn't worn black lingerie which would probably see through the dress, but then remembering she didn't own any underwear that wasn't black and that her skin was probably going to look weirder with the dress than her bra straps would.

But to Elphaba's surprise, it looked good. It fit remarkably well and even Elphaba was able to recognize how pretty the dress made her look. The off-white color turned Elphaba's green skin from looking weird and sickly to looking dark and mysterious. And the dress fit in all the right places.

Glinda was practically bouncing with joy. No, correct that—she _was_ bouncing with joy. "Oh, Elphie, you look so pretty! Are you going to buy it?"

Elphaba stared at herself in the mirror. She liked how the dress looked, but when was she ever going to wear it? And what would people say when they saw her wearing a color far closer on the color wheel to white than to her traditional black? She shook her head.

The sad puppy face Glinda made was hilarious, but Elphaba knew better than to laugh. "But Elphie, it looks so pretty on you!"

"When would I wear it?"

Even Glinda had to pause and think for a moment before answering Elphaba's question. A sly smile crept onto the blond's face. "Well, you could always wear it for me in the bedroom…" she suggested.

Elphaba returned the smile, "I thought you would prefer for me not to wear anything in the bedroom."

"I guess you're right," Glinda said absent-mindedly as she brushed the dress straps off of Elphaba's shoulders. "But it would always be fun to take it off of you," she said as she began slowly pulling the dress off of Elphaba.

Next thing they knew, their lips had locked together and the dress had fallen to the ground. Glinda's hands roamed over Elphaba's half-naked body while Elphaba just pulled the blond witch closer as they kissed. Then Glinda's lips left Elphaba's lips and began trailing kisses down Elphaba's neck. The green witch gasped with pleasure and pushed her body even closer to Glinda's, if that was physically possible. Glinda let out a small moan, and then she pressed her mouth to Elphaba's once more.

But then Elphaba remembered where she was and broke away. Breathing heavily, Elphaba whispered in hoarse voice, "Not here. Not now. Later."

Glinda nodded as she struggled to regain her breath.

The two stood there for a moment, breathing and looking at each other. Then Glinda smiled. "Wow."

Elphaba shook her head. "No, I should be the one saying wow. You're an amazing kisser."

Glinda blushed.

Elphaba looked down at the ivory dress, lying in a puddle at her feet. "Okay," she said after a moment or two. "I'll buy it."

Her girlfriend grinned as Elphaba picked the dress off the floor, hung it up, handed it to Glinda, and put her black frock on again.

Glinda began to open the door. "Wait, aren't_ you_ going to try anything on?" Elphaba asked, gesturing to the pile of dresses on the bench.

The blond curls bounced as Glinda shook her head. "We've been in here long enough; people are going to be wondering what the heck we're doing in here!"

Elphaba snorted, "And they should be!"

Glinda paid for the purchase, despite Elphaba's vehement protests, because she was just so happy that Elphaba was actually agreeing to buy herself something that looked nice.

The two of them walked past Quality Quidditch Supplies, stopping for a moment at a stationary store so Glinda could purchase a pink quill and the jar of sparkly pink and purple ink which had been glittering in the window, and then across the street to a store that came just before the ice cream parlor. "Style" proclaimed the title of the shop, and true to its name, the store seemed to be packed with the latest modern trends in fashion—with a slight magical twist. Like, for example, a wonderful denim skirt, black leather boot, blue halter top, and matching blue cape made up an outfit which a mannequin in the front window was sporting. If Elphaba's vision was correct, the mannequin's pointy hat was made of leather that matched her knee-high boots.

Luckily for Elphaba, Glinda didn't stay in this store long. Fashion in Oz was quite different than fashion in England, and Glinda couldn't handle the shortness of those skirts.

Giggling, Elphaba and Glinda made their way into Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, where they each ordered single scoops (courtesy of Elphaba this time) and stole ice cream from each other with their little pink tasting spoons.

When all the ice cream had been devoured, the napkins and spoons thrown away, and faces had been wiped clean of spots of mint chocolate chip ice cream, Elphaba was ready to go back to Hogwarts.

Glinda, unfortunately, was not.

Her eyes sparkling, the blond smiled. "Come on, just right across the street! I promise it won't take too long, you need a new robe anyway!" Glinda entreated.

And, unable to resist the blond witch's charm, Elphaba was dragged into Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occasions by a bubbly, sugar-high Glinda, who still had a trace of orange sherbet on the left corner of her mouth.

The blond witch frowned at all the black robes, glancing around the store for bursts of color. Lucky for Elphaba, she looked past the pink frilly robes and the light blue and cream robes. But then Glinda spotted something and, grabbing Elphaba's arm with a force one would never expect a small blond witch to possess, dragged Elphaba towards the back of the store, where an assortment of shiny golden robes hung.

"No." Elphaba said simply, but Glinda insisted. "Gold will complement your green skin beautifully! I swear! It'll make you look exotic!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, "I already look exotic enough!"

Glinda gestured wildly towards the golden robe she had picked out, "It'll make you look like an exotic _beauty_, then!"

The green witch pretended to look offended, "Are you saying I'm not beautiful?"

Glinda sighed. "No, you'll always be beautiful to me," with such sweet sincerity that Elphaba wanted to kiss her right there in front of everyone—but then again, that would be kissing Glinda _right there in front of everyone_, so Elphaba held back.

"…but I still think gold would be a beautiful color on you."

* * *

Ron watched from a shadowed alleyway as Elphaba and Glinda walked by, talking and laughing. Why didn't he see it before? It was so obvious now that he knew their secret. Ron cracked his knuckles as he continued to watch his targets. By now, they had stopped in front of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Ron turned around to motion to the small troop of Death Eaters. Pulling on his mask, he ordered, "Goyle, you're in charge of capturing Upland and holding her hostage. The rest of you…Diagon Alley is yours for the taking. We need to draw Thropp away from Upland first. But remember, whatever else you may do, Thropp is mine!" The Death Eaters cheered and then charged into the packed streets.

* * *

"Elphie!" Glinda said, "You need to go shopping for yourself _sometime_. You can't avoid it forever. Might as well do it now."

Elphaba sighed. "Glinda, I love you, and I'd do anything for you, but going shopping is where I draw the line."

"Why-"

Elphaba could not hear the rest of Glinda's sentence as the windows of a nearby shop was blown out and people ran out, screaming. Glinda felt Elphaba tense up next to her. "Elphaba, no!" Glinda hissed. "Please, please don't go to play the hero!

"Glinda, I have to," Elphaba replied, pulling out her wand from its hoister. "It's my duty as an Order mem-"

"For Lurline's sake, Elphie! Why can't you think about yourself for once?" Glinda asked. "You keep going out to these battles and getting hurt! I can't lose you again, Elphaba. I just can't." She finished the last part in a whisper.

Luckily, Harry ran up at this time, saving Elphaba from this awkward situation. "Fae, come on. The Death Eaters have moved up the street. We're not prepared for a fight, but we'll just have to do the best we can. _Come on_!"

Elphaba nodded. "Glinda, go over there," she ordered, indicating an unoccupied alleyway. "And don't let yourself be seen. I'll be back." After sparing a last glace at the blonde, Elphaba rushed after Harry.

Glinda watched them until they were out of sight. Suddenly, she got the feeling that she wasn't alone. She turned around slowly. Strange. There was no one around. Perhaps she was just being para-

"Hello." That was the only warning that Glinda received before Goyle lunged at her. She screamed as they both landed on the abandoned pathway. She fought him wildly, kicking and biting at whatever she could.

"Goyle!" A sharp voice cut through their fighting. "You have a knife, you blubbering idiot! _Use it_!" Glinda froze a moment later as she felt the cool metal blade of a knife touch her neck.

"Don't move," Goyle hissed. "Don't move or I'll slit your throat." Glinda swallowed hard and then relented. Keeping one hand on his knife and one hand on Glinda, Goyle marched her over to where another Death Eater was standing.

"Tie her hands," the other Death Eater ordered, taking Glinda and the knife from Goyle. Goyle did as he was told. Then, with a nod from the Death Eater, Goyle depressed the cartilage on the back of Glinda's skull, and Glinda's world turned black.

* * *

Elphaba limped back to the front of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Thankfully, the fight hadn't taken too long. The Death Eaters didn't seem to have a goal in coming to Diagon Alley today. It seemed like they had just picked a random place to attack. However, if there was one thing that Elphaba knew, it was that Death Eaters didn't attack randomly. There was a purpose for their attack on Diagon Alley. She just didn't know what it was.

"Glinda?" she called as her eyes scanned the dusty pathway. There was no answer. "Glinda, this isn't funny!" she demanded, looking around. Making her way over to the alleyway, she wondered where her girlfriend had gone. Her heart sped up as she noticed someone lying on the cold pavement.

Elphaba unwillingly gasped. "No!" She ran over to the prone form and fell to her knees. Pulling out her wand, she cast a spell to revive Glinda and then dropped said wand next to her. "Glinda, wake up! Can you hear me?"

A voice penetrated the fog in Glinda's mind. Elphaba. She tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Three Death Eaters entered the alleyway silently, blocking off any possible route of escape for the two witches. One of them, Malfoy, quietly summoned Elphaba's wand from her side. The green witch, however, was uncharacteristically oblivious. She had focused all of her energy in reviving Glinda.

"Glinda," Elphaba said, a little more urgently this time. "Wake up! We need to get you back to Hogwarts." She untied Glinda's hands as Glinda opened her eyes.

"Elphie?" she whispered.

"That's it, Glinda. Come on. We have to-"

"Elphie, no! It's a trap!"

"What?" Elphaba's head shot up as she realized that they weren't as alone as she had though. By now, the three Death Eaters had surrounded them, their wands out and pointed at her. She cursed her unawareness of their surroundings and instinctively tried to grasp for her wand. However, Elphaba watched in horror as one of the Death Eaters held it mockingly between his fingers.

Jumping up, Elphaba delivered a surprise attack on the first Death Eater. She delivered a kick to his middle that caused him to bend over, coughing. Another blow and he was out cold. Idiot. She then turned her attention to the remaining Death Eater. Remaining Death Eater? What happened to…

"Step away from Malfoy, Thropp," the cool voice of said Death Eater ordered. "Do it. Or your girlfriend dies." He had planted his knife along Glinda's neck again and watched Elphaba.

Elphaba hesitated and the Death Eater pressed the knife lightly on Glinda's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. The green witch didn't wait. She dropped her hands to her side and backed away from Malfoy.

"Get over by the wall," the Death Eater continued. "And turn around."

"Elphie, don't!" Glinda screamed. "Don't do it."

"Now!" the Death Eater hissed. Left with no other choice, Elphaba did as he asked. Giving a small smirk at this, Malfoy pulled out a pair of iron cuffs and secured Elphaba's hands behind her back. She winced as the cold metal of the cuffs bit into her wrists.

"Let Glinda go," Elphaba pleaded to the unknown Death Eater. "You wanted me, didn't you? Well, you got what you wanted. She's of no further value to you."

"I don't think you're in any position to be making bargains here, Thropp," the Death Eater said with a hint of amusement in his voice. It was that voice that was bothering Elphaba. It seemed so familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Don't forget, I can kill her right now and you wouldn't be able to do _anything_ about it. But I won't. Where's the fun in that, hmm?"

Leaving Glinda for Malfoy to guard, he walked over to where Elphaba stood silently and circled her. "You don't know how long I've waited for this, Thropp," he whispered. "How long I've been itching to kill you." He paused. "No. Death's too good for you. I will make you _scream_ for it."

Elphaba tried to keep the fear from showing in her words. "You're pathetic," she spat. "You were too afraid to attack me by yourself, so you have to resort to using Glinda."

"All's fair in war," the Death Eater shrugged. "And it worked like a charm. You're just where I want you." And without another word, Elphaba felt a blinding pain on the side of her head as she was knocked down to the pavement.

"Elphie!" Elphaba could hear Glinda screaming, but she didn't look up. She could feel the tangy taste of blood in her mouth from haven bitten her tongue.

"May I remind you that you can have all the fun you want with Thropp when we get back?" Malfoy said silkily walking closer to Glinda. "Come. I'll bring Upland and you can have Thropp. If people know we're here, we'll have accomplished nothing."

"There's no one, here," the other Death Eater snapped. "Everyone's already fled from the battle earlier. There's nothing to stop me-"

"Except for me. Expelliarmous!" Elphaba turned her head to see the outline of Harry standing at the entrance of the alleyway. The knife that was previously at Glinda's throat and Elphaba's wand flew over to Harry's hand.

"Harry!" Elphaba called, trying to stand up.

"Damnit," the Death Eater holding her swore. _Why did Potter have to come in, now of all times_? Deciding that it wasn't worth it to fight Potter and risk losing his prisoner, he grasped the struggling green witch's upper arm in one hand and a portkey in another. He quickly whispered the keyword and disappeared, leaving Malfoy with Harry.

"No! Please, no! Elphie!" Glinda shrieked as tears streamed down her cheeks. Not again. She couldn't do this again. She couldn't lose Elphaba a second time.

"That cowardly scum!" Malfoy muttered as he realized that Ron had deserted him. He had never liked Weasley. He was too far from Upland to be able to grab her first without getting captured. And he was _not_ going to take the blame for Weasley's stupidity.

He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Harry, backing up all the while. Right before he activated his own portkey, he looked at Glinda. "Thank you, Upland. You've made our job a whole lot easier." And then, he too disappeared, leaving Glinda to her guilt.

**Coming up: Meeting Voldemort and an emergency meeting. Poor Elphaba.**

**Hehe. This was one of the longest chapters. Aren't you proud of me and Mara?**

**And yes, I **_**did**_** change my penname. I told OMG it's WickedJelly that I would change my profile, so I decided to change my penname while I was at it. **

**-Wolfie**


	21. Here Alone

**The title for chapter twenty is from…Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Congrats to Firstlady1408, X-Kate-X, Wickedgreenchild, Yank2324, Easterly Winds, Haley, and maureen is me.**

**This should have been up Monday, but Mara sent me the Glinda hysterical scene just today. Hopefully, the next chapter will be up by next Monday. It should be. I think.**

**And actually, it's still fine that it was updated today, because...Happy birthday to Idina Menzel! Yeah!**

_Chapter 21: Here Alone_

Harry had encountered many strange and dangerous situations in his career as an Auror. However, _nothing _had prepared him for a hysterical blonde whose green girlfriend had just been captured by the darkest wizard in England's history. Harry, who had few mean or impatient bones in his body, wanted to smack Glinda across the face and tell her to be quiet. However, he held back his urge and berated her instead. "Calm down, Glinda!" he harped. "We'll figure out something."

At first, Glinda had reacted with shock as she watched Elphaba disappear. She'd stood there, wide-eyed, pale—looking so much like a little child that couldn't find its mommy, didn't know where she was, had fallen down the stairs, and on top of it all, had dropped her lollipop in the gutter. Harry's heart had gone out to Glinda.

Like a boy that finds an old stuffed teddy bear in a closet, abused to a point where stuffing was falling out the side and one of the eyes had fallen off, Harry had rushed over to Glinda and wrapped his arms around her.

"She's gone," Glinda kept whispering again and again, over and over.

"She'll be okay. She's strong. We'll get her back. Don't worry." Harry said soothingly. "Come on, we need to get back to Hogwarts. We have to figure out what to do."

And _that's_ when Glinda passed the line from lost child or abused teddy bear into furious, psychopathic woman. "NO!" Glinda suddenly screamed, shocking Harry's nearby earlobe with her ferocious volume. "WE HAVE TO GET HER BACK!" And then Glinda began stumbling towards the spot where Elphaba had disappeared, driven by a motivation that Harry could not comprehend.

"When we get back to Hogwarts, we'll plan how to get her back," Harry said, with uncharacteristic calmness. Perhaps he was shocked with the loss of Elphaba, too.

Harry grabbed Glinda. They needed to get her home before she caused a giant scene. But too late. Glinda screamed an unearthly howl as Harry winced and clenched his fingers into Glinda's skin, which only made her scream louder.

How Harry managed to get Glinda back to Hogwarts by himself would have been beyond anyone watching this scene. But getting her into her room proved an even tougher challenge. In the end, he ended up literally pulling and grabbing and shoving her in the right direction. Harry didn't even want to think about all the bruises he was receiving from this experience.

He was getting quite annoyed as Glinda flailed, hit, smacked, whacked, punched, kicked, screamed, tossed, pulled, and pushed at him. For Merlin's sake, he was only trying to help.

The victory of pulling Glinda's door shut behind them was overshadowed when Glinda tried to punch Harry in the eye, then shrieked because she'd of course, hit his glasses and only hurt her own hand instead. He grabbed her arms, shoved her into an armchair, and held her down.

"Listen, Glinda," he said, talking slowly and letting his annoyance seep into every word, "we are going to get Fae back. But to do so, we need you to calm down. You need to stay out of the way so we can figure out how to get her back, okay? So don't you dare move. I need to go meet with the other Order members and figure out how to save her. So the least you can do is sit still and not leave your rooms. Do you understand?"

The blond witch's eyes were large with fright as she nodded.

"Good," Harry said curtly, before whipping around and slamming the door behind the two of them.

* * *

After telling Dumbledore to call the Order members to convene, however, Harry knocked on Glinda's door. He felt bad about his treatment towards Glinda. After all, she had just lost her lover. And not only did Elphaba have a high probability of being killed, but who knew what horrible things they would do to her before that?

Glinda rocked back and forth on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, rocking and holding her knees to her chest. Tears made little rivers down the sides of her cheeks and wet the bottom of her chin. She trembled all over. The shower was running, but Glinda didn't feel it. The mist from the shower sprinkled Glinda, who seemed oblivious to the cold dampness being sprayed on her.

"Elphie…Elphie…Elphie…" she chanted in a sing-song whisper.

Elphaba, the strong one, Elphaba the brave. Elphaba the noble, the clever, the wise. The one with guts. The one who would actually be _doing_ something now instead of curling up in a ball and crying had Glinda been the one captured. Elphaba, the beautiful, Elphaba the kind, Elphaba the sarcastic. The exotic green girl who had captured her heart. Taken away.

Glinda was scared. Images of Elphaba being kicked, punched, and beaten within an inch of her life flooded Glinda's mind. What if she was already dead?

The picture of Elphaba, red blood trickling down from a line across her throat, flashed across the inside of Glinda's eye.

She didn't make it to the toilet in time and vomited all over the floor. So much for the ice cream. Glinda wiped tears and vomit from her face with the back of her hand and returned to rocking and crying in a little ball.

"Glinda!" Harry's concerned voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Go away!"

"Glinda!" Harry repeated.

"Go away! I'm taking a shower!" Glinda screamed as she turned the water up even higher.

"Come on, Glinda, I'm sorry!"

But Glinda didn't acknowledge Harry's apology. Instead, Glinda curled herself up on the wet ground against the side of the shower. Her hair was a disaster; some of her curls were soaked helplessly and others frizzy beyond control. She pulled her knees close to her body and lay there, crying. Wishing and wishing and praying and hoping that Elphaba was there to comfort her, to tell her everything was all right. But then, of course, had Elphaba been there, Glinda wouldn't be dealing with these emotions in the first place.

"Glinda, open the bloody door!"

"NO!" Glinda shouted, her voice muffled since she spoke in her knees, but her response was clear enough for Harry to get the message.

The water in the shower was icy cold as Glinda fell into a restless state of semi-unconsciousness, if there was such a thing, curled up against the shower door.

* * *

Elphaba fought to break free from the Death Eater holding her as she was forced down the drafty hallway. "Stop struggling, Thropp," the Death Eater growled, tightening his hold. "You're not going anywhere."

"That's what you think," Elphaba muttered.

Then, she almost stumbled as the Death Eater stopped short and forced her to look at him. "You think you're so powerful, do you, Thropp?" he hissed. "I can do anything I want to you and you won't be able to stop it. No one will stop me. Think about it."

By now, they had reached the end of the hallway. The door was opened and the Death Eater pushed Elphaba into the chamber. She looked up to see Voldemort watching her with half-concealed amusement.

"My Lord, we have her!" the Death Eater called.

"Yes, I see that," Voldemort said sarcastically. "Bring her forward." Elphaba was brought in front of Voldemort and forced to her knees. No matter how hard she fought, she was unable to break the grip of the Death Eater on her arm. Voldemort glanced down at the baleful green witch. "I wish to talk to our prisoner. Alone."

"Yes, my Lord," the Death Eater replied. "But what if she-"

"_Alone_," Voldemort repeated with more force. Once the Death Eater let her go, Elphaba stood back up defiantly. With a respectful nod at Voldemort, the Death Eater backed out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"Elphaba Thropp," Voldemort murmured. "I've heard a great many things about you. Your power, your skill, and your…exotic beauty. And I must admit, I have become curious about you." Elphaba watched him silently as the Dark Lord began to pace. "So, I had my Death Eaters bring you here so that I could personally talk to you. We are alike, you and I."

"We are _nothing_ alike," Elphaba interrupted. "I do not see any similarity between us. There _is_ no similarity."

"Don't you, now," the Dark Lord chuckled slightly. "We are both powerful, more powerful than most of the Wizarding World. And we're both different- set apart from others, if you will. Think about it, Thropp. Think of everything we could do together. We'd be unlimited."

Unlimited. There was that word again. It was what she had always wanted in Oz: to be accepted and loved by everyone. Ironic that Voldemort would try and use that word to sway her over to the Death Eaters. But it was different now. She was accepted here in England. Most people didn't hate her because of her skin. She was loved.

"Join me and you'll have all you ever wanted. Anything you've ever wanted. On the other hand, you could continue to defy me instead and die a martyr's death. A painful death. Is that what you want?"

Elphaba fought to keep the fear from manifesting itself in her voice. "I'd rather die than live a life of lies," she said bitterly.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "Such loyalty," he whispered, idly twirling his own wand between his fingers. "Why do you fight for Dumbledore? There is no good or evil. There is only power, and those too weak to seek it. Last chance, Thropp. Join me and live or continue to fight a loosing battle. Your choice."

Elphaba took a deep breath. This was it. She was about to seal her own fate. She glared at Voldemort and tried to still her pounding heart. "In your dreams…Tom Riddle."

Giving a scream of rage, Voldemort pointed his wand at the witch. "As you wish, Thropp," he snarled, his facial features twisted in anger. "Crucio!" Elphaba fell to the stone floor, twitching and writhing. Her whole body was on fire, and she screamed as red-hot knives seemed to stab every part of her.

Finally, Voldemort lifted the curse. Breathing deeply, Elphaba slowly sat up. "Changed your mind yet?" Voldemort asked.

"Never," Elphaba replied spitefully.

"Malfoy!" Voldemort called. The blonde Death Eater rushed in and bowed deeply at Voldemort's feet.

"Yes, my Lord?" he asked.

"Thropp is yours," Voldemort indicated Elphaba, who had a line of blood slowly trickling down her forehead from hitting it on the ground. "You may torture her for any information regarding the Order, but remember: she is _not_ to be killed."

"Yes, my Lord," Malfoy said gleefully. "And I am to have her to myself?"

"All to yourself, Malfoy," Voldemort nodded. "The others can take their turns later." As Elphaba was dragged out of the chamber, she locked eyes with Voldemort for a moment, who gave her a superior look. "What you don't seem to realize is that I've won," Voldemort called after her. "And Thropp, the penalty for loosing…is death."

Elphaba tried to yell something back at him, but the door to the chamber closed. _No_, she thought desperately.

* * *

"Order! Order!" Dumbledore tried to establish some form of order in the chaotic meeting room of the major Order members. Finally, seeing that his polite pleas to the members weren't helping, he raised his voice. "Quiet!" he called.

That did the trick. The members looked at him in surprise. It was very rare that the normally calm Headmaster actually yelled.

"Now, would you all sit down?" Dumbledore continued. "We need to move quickly if we want to figure out how to rescue Fae before…before it's too late."

This statement caused another wave of whispers to spread throughout the meeting room.

"For Merlin's sake," Snape snapped, annoyed at the inefficiency of his colleagues, "none of you are helping matters at all. Are you _trying_ to leave Fae at the Dark Lord's mercy?"

"Shut up, Snape! Don't you dare say that about us. We care about Fae as much as you do," Harry yelled, his adrenaline still spiked from the earlier battle and Elphaba's capture.

"Well, you all have a funny way of showing it," Snape sneered. "You're wasting your time talking about 'what ifs' instead of actually concocting a plan to rescue her."

"And where were _you_ during all this?" Harry shot at the Potions Master. "Why didn't anyone respond to my emergency alert during the battle? Maybe if you had come, Snape, Fae wouldn't have been captured."

"Be quiet, both of you!" Snape and Harry looked at Hermione, surprised. "Now is _not_ the time to fight amongst each other, not if you want to help Fae. And I for one am not going to sit here and watch you two waste valuable time arguing."

"Thank you, Hermione," Dumbledore said, looking relieved that Snape and Harry seemed to follow Hermione's advice and sat down in their respective seats. "Now, Harry, could you please give us an official run-through of what happened in the battle and what led up to Fae being captured."

Harry began to speak quickly about the battle and its aftermath. "…and after the Death Eaters disapperated, Fae left the way she had come. I assumed that she was going to find Glinda, so I wasn't too worried. I had to take stock of the damage done in Diagon Alley anyone, since I would have to file an official report."

"And an 'official report' is more important to you than Elphaba's safety?" Fiyero scowled.

Harry glared at the ex-scarecrow. "How was I to know that Death Eaters would be back by Madame Malkin's Robes?"

"Continue, please," Dumbledore interrupted before another argument could break out.

"Eventually, I followed Fae because I had the portkey to get back here. By the time I got there, however, the Death Eaters had already captured both her and Glinda. I summoned the knife and Fae's wand first-"

"The knife? The first thing you did was summon the knife?" Snape yelled. "Why didn't you try to help _Fae_?"

"I took care of the immediate threat, Snape!" Harry snarled, angry at being interrupted. "The bloody knife was at Glinda's throat. If I had done anything else, that Death Eater would not have hesitated to slit her throat."

"And what happened to Fae, then?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"The Death Eater took her before I could do anything else. Luckily, the other one, Malfoy, disapperated as well without putting up a fight. It looks as though Fae was their main target- they didn't seem to care much whether or not Glinda was captured."

"Where is Glinda now?" Hermione looked around as she realized that the blonde witch wasn't in the meeting room.

"In her room," Harry said briefly. "I think-"

"Harry, hold on a minute." Dumbledore disrupted Harry's sentence. "When you mentioned the Death Eater that captured Fae, you never said his name. Who was he?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I never saw his face and his name was never said. His voice sounded familiar, though. He's probably just another Inner Circle Death Eater or something."

"But is Glinda alright?" Fiyero pressed. "Was she hurt badly?"

"No and no," Harry answered. "She was only knocked out, as far as I can tell, but I think she might feel at least partially responsible for Fae's capture."

"And she might well be," Snape cut in harshly. "It was her idea to go shopping there anyhow."

"Don't you dare use Glinda as an outlet for your anger!" Fiyero shot up from his seat and glared at the Potions Master across from him. "How can you even think about blaming her?"

"Because, as I said, if she hadn't dragged Fae everywhere and separated from the rest of the group, Fae might be sitting here right now."

"Severus Snape!" Dumbledore roared, truly angry at how the Order members were behaving. "I know you're frustrated, but there's no reason for you and everyone else to take your frustration out of the people around you. You all need to _calm down_." He looked around at the remains of their not-so-organized meeting and said more calmly, "Obviously, you are all too riled up to have a productive meeting. Therefore, we will adjourn for now and meet in a few hours when we've all calmed down. Is that understood?"

"Well, we have to do _something_," Fiyero insisted. "We can't just sit around for the next few hours while knowing that Elphaba is most likely being tortured."

"Unfortunately for you, Tiggular," Snape spat, "we have no way of helping Fae right now. For one thing, we have absolutely no idea where the hell she is."

"Fiyero," Dumbledore thought for a moment. "Perhaps there will be some word about Fae's whereabouts in Knockturn Alley. Would you like to scout around there and see what you can find out?"

"If there's not anything else I can do." Fiyero sighed. "I'll try to find out something before the meeting later." He left the room.

"The rest of you…" Dumbledore looked at the rest of the members seriously. "Keep your eyes and ears open. And- I hate to say this, but…prepare yourselves for the worst."

**Coming up: Fiyero and Glinda talk, Ron and Elphaba talk, Voldemort gloats.**

**As you can see, I am hopeless at making up good summaries. So…I would appreciate it greatly if you could help me with this endeavor. (Meaning write a summary of this story for me to use). The character limit is…250 , I think. –checks- No. 255. Close.**

**If I end up using your summary, I'll, um…credit you in chapter 22. Thanks!**

**-Wolfie**


	22. Lost in the Wilderness

**The title for chapter twenty-one is from…Little Women. Congrats to Wickedgreenchild and Easterly Winds. Heh heh. That was a harder one.**

**Ah'd like to thank GothPhantom and especially CardboardCreative for their help in this chapter. The latter beta-ed this chapter for me. Long story short, Mara and I are in a slight disagreement and I needed a temporary (or maybe not so temporary) new beta. Cardboard kindly volunteered. Her 'destruction of my chapter' was bloody amazing, let me tell you.**

**Cardboard also wrote my wonderful new summary for me. Thanks muchly, friend.**

**And I think I had a little bit too much of Casino Royale (James Bond) before writing this chapter.**

_Chapter 22: Lost in the Wilderness_

Fiyero Tiggular had never felt more useless in his life. It had been one whole week since the fiasco in Diagon Alley, and no one in the Order had been able to gain any leads or evidence pointing them to Elphaba's location. There wasn't a single clue in Diagon, or even Knockturn Alley – no whispered rumors or discarded papers that could lead to Elphaba and the Death Eaters.

_Elphaba doesn't deserve this_, Fiyero thought to himself hotly. _Hasn't she already been through enough? _He aimed a vicious kick at a nearby rock, resulting in a bruised toe instead of satisfaction.

He glared at the rock as though it were the cause of all his problems. He knew it was irrational to act this way, but there wasn't anything else for him to do. Although he refused to admit it out loud, Fiyero knew it was highly likely that Elphaba would die by Voldermort's hands.

Fiyero emerged from the cluster of trees and collected shrubbery to find Glinda sitting along in the spot where Elphaba would when she had wished to be alone. _No_, he berated himself, s_top thinking about Elphaba in past tense._ _She's survived attempts on her life in Oz by the handful. It would be murder for her to give up now. Oh…_

He cautiously walked over to the recoiling blonde. "Hi Glinda," he greeted lightly, wary of her reaction. Glinda looked up at him, not having noticed his approaching form. He indicated an old tree stump several paces from where she sat, "Would you mind?"

"No. Go ahead," Glinda said quietly, minus her usual sunny demeanor. They sat quietly for a few moments, drawing comfort from each other's presence. Then, Glinda took a breath and began to speak. "Fiyero, do you think that Elphie might be dea- err, not coming back?"

Fiyero hesitated. He was unsure of if he should lie for her sake or be honest. In all likelihood, Elphaba was dead for hours now, but announcing that so bluntly to Glinda wouldn't be the kindest course of action. Glinda had always been touchy.

"Fiyero?" she said his name louder, trying to break him from thought.

"Glinda, I-" Fiyero broke off, planning how to express his intuition diplomatically, or even comfortingly. He decided to take it slow, "Look Glinda, you have to understand that Voldermort is more than unethical. Typically, he doesn't murder prisoners quickly. He likes to- well, let's just assume Elphaba is still alive."

"What does he like to do, Fiyero?" pressed the blonde, realizing his sentence went in a completely different direction. She had an idea of what came next, but dreading it, wishing she was wrong.

"Voldermort?"

Glinda nodded expectantly. Fiyero looked around for a distraction. "Oh, well… he, uh, hey look, a bird! Helikestotorturehisprisoners." Fiyero pointed and blew his words out in one breath, his hair doing a handsome flop as his elbow jerked.

"What?" Glinda furrowed her brow. To Fiyero's dismay, she didn't attempt to look at any birds. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Fiyero almost laughed at how much charm he'd lost through the years. There was a hollow sensation in his gut, reminding him that Glinda was expecting an answer and he was to be the bearer of unbearable news.

"Voldermort likes to kill slowly. There's a chance Elphaba could still be alive… but I fear she won't be well."

Glinda's eyes went wide with a cherub-like look, riddled with sadness. "When you say 'kill slowly', do you mean he enjoys torturing people to death?"

"Um..." Fiyero muttered, practicing several methods of what to say. "Not in Elphaba's case, I don't think. Being that she's a major Order member, he would want to keep her alive. She possesses some valuable information. She wouldn't be killed immediately or hurt permanently, I think."

"Sweet Oz," Glinda breathed, shaking slightly, "But if she's got all that information, then all the more reason to hurt her!"

"This is a war, for Merlin's sake!" Fiyero cursed, aggravated that Glinda would press something this painful into a conversation. "What do you think is bound to happen to a prisoner in a magical war?"

Glinda averted her eyes from him and looked at the lake as she blinked back tears. A calm breeze swept in their direction, almost acting as a powerful mediator. It asked Fiyero to apologize.

"Sorry," he said quickly.

"No. We can't beat around the bush, and I deserve to know the truth. I'm glad you were honest with me."

"Okay Glinda, listen." He paused as Glinda's eyes swept over him indifferently. "I don't think it's healthy for you to act like this."

She opened her mouth and ejected a syllable to retaliate, but Fiyero cut her off with a hand and a louder voice. "I don't care what lies you've spun for everyone to feel better. For one thing, you've barley eaten this past week. You wander around all night long and avoid me, Harry, and everyone else for that matter. You can't stop living because Elphaba's gone. She wouldn't want you to mourn like this."

"Don't worry, Fiyero," Glinda said softly, "I won't keep living like this, because Elphaba's coming back. I know she is."

Fiyero sighed. "You know that the chances-"

"No. Elphaba's stronger than that. You should know that. She's coming back. I can feel it in every part of me: My bones…my heart."

What she said caused Fiyero to fall silent, forgetting what he was going to say. He watched as she closed her eyes, probably to prevent herself from crying. But really, she recited a small prayer to all the gods she learnt of as a child, and even all the ones she didn't know of.

_Please, please let my words be true. Please let Elphie be alright. Please let her be okay. I would never forgive myself_

* * *

_Drip… drip… drip. _

Elphaba sighed with exasperation and ignored the spasm of pain reverberating through her. She turned away from the source of water meekly. She couldn't stand this helpless, hopeless feeling. She was at the mercy of others and vulnerable as a young child.

Over the past week, she'd been subjected to any and all torture available at the Death Eaters' disposal. They threw curses and spells as her like dirt. They were determined to break not only her body, but her spirit, despite her impeccable silence about the Order. It just provoked them.

It was a never-ending cycle of torture, interrogation, and mockery. Elphaba wondered casually how much more of this she could take and how much longer it would take for her to die.

Footsteps echoed on stone, the noise increasing in loudness like a hypnotic beat. She didn't turn to look, weary and expectant. The footsteps ceased, the cell door creaked open and the shadow of a looming, poised Death Eater appeared.

"Good morning, Thropp," he sang jovially. His voice triggered Elphaba's recognition, as he was the same person who captured her a week ago.

His voice. It was familiar. Too familiar. It stung her ears.

"I hear you and Malfoy had a swell time yesterday," the Death Eater continued. "I look forward to the same hospitality from you here in your cell. Unless, of course, you tell me what I want to know."

Elphaba turned her face and widened her eyes in surprise. "Ronald Weasley?" she gasped, trying to sit up. Pain shot up from her hips to her armpits, searing her muscles and preventing her from moving, "You're- you-"

It was rare that Elphaba was baffled or lost for words, but this was one of those 'forehead-slapping moments'- if she could reach her forehead, that is. No matter how she disliked or looked down upon the redheaded ignoramus, she never suspected a member of the 'Golden Trio' of spying on the Order.

"Yes?" he glowered at her, "You had something to say?"

"You're the spy. Aren't you?" Elphaba finished lamely.

Ron's gaze bore into her own for a minute, and then his mouth twisted into a little smile. He brought his hands together to emit slow, ringing claps.

"Congratulations," he said sarcastically. "You're the first to figure it out. Don't you feel that bubbly, special feeling?"

Elphaba clenched her jaw. They attacked her verbally even after she was unconscious, especially Ron. Now that she thought back, she could remember his voice in many of the torture sessions. He normally kept his mask on, but that didn't prevent him from mocking her.

Ron stuck a comfortable pose against the walls of the cell. "In fact, I think this calls for a celebration. Just for you. Crucio!"

Elphaba bit her lip to try and keep from screaming, but her teeth cut into her flesh, drawing blood. A choked, defeated cry escaped her as she was claimed under the horrible burning and demented sensations that accompanied the infamous torture curse.

"Now, Thropp" Ron whispered as the curse was taken off, "either I can enjoy myself, or you can be able to see later. Your choice."

"Never," Elphaba glared at the smug Death Eater who bore his freckles proudly. "You bastard."

With surprising force, Ron bunched the front of Elphaba's robes and thrust her off the ground, hurling her against the stone wall. "My parents were married, thank you very much," he said calmly, but with a hint of a threat in his voice. "You'll be dead soon if you don't tell me what I want to know!"

Elphaba hit the wall, bouncing off it to slump on the ground. The nauseating sound of ribs cracking, and the actual cracking, made her wince. Instead of vomiting, however, she shot Ron a wry smile, which he reacted to with visible irritation.

"Try me," she growled. She coughed, wheezing some as she tried to hoist herself up, but was kicked down before she had the opportunity. Like a defenseless puppy, she was sent sprawling across the cold floor.

"Do you care to run that by me again?" warned Ron as his nostrils flared. "I'll forgive you, because I'm a good man that way. If you just tell me what I want to know, you'll be left alone."

"You'll have to kill me first," Elphaba snapped. Sucking in air and wheezing it out was proving a painful task, but she wasn't about to succumb to the pressure. Deciding that breathing was more important than making witty comments, she focused more on evening out her breaths. Her chest was still tight with pain.

"Oh no, Fae," Ron leered. "My Lord would not be pleased if you died. He

wishes to deliver the final blow himself. No matter. You'll be begging for death soon."

"There will never come a day when I beg _you_ for anything," hissed the green captive.

"You're so sure of yourself. It's about time to knock your off your pedestal," Ron shrugged. "Would you beg me for your girlfriend's life?"

Elphaba narrowed her eyes, ignoring how strained her face felt. "Don't you dare touch Glinda, you pathetic, brainless, impotent-"

"Or you'll do what?" Ron raised an eyebrow and waved his wand around in boredom. "In fact, my Lord promised her to me when she comes looking for you. Oh, and I know she will. You can count on that."

Elphaba felt a burning feeling grow inside her, but it wasn't from pain. It was from rage. Baring her teeth, she summoned her remaining energy to transform into her animagus form.

Something went wrong. Instead of the easy transition from human to animal, not a trace of change occurred. With a yelp of surprise, Elphaba was thrown several feet from where she had been lying as a sudden jolt of energy activated in the cell.

Ron smirked down at her. "Oh, did I forget to mention? There's a shield up preventing animagus transformations in here. We don't want any kitties wandering around. Now, where were we?" He grinned. "Ah, yes. Glinda."

"If you so much as lay a hand on her," Elphaba began in a low, inhuman voice, "I promise that I will hunt you down like the murderer you are."

"Somehow, I can't imagine you conducting much hunting in this state," laughed the Death Eater. At that point, Elphaba truly loathed him and thought Ronald to be nothing more than a frenzied little boy. In her physical agony, there was nothing in her world besides her, Ron, and the intense hate she had for him.

However, Ron brought a different tactic to damage Elphaba. He was going to attack her in the lowest way possible: by puncturing the weak wounds of Glinda.

"Look, Thropp. I'll make it simple for you. Tell me everything and I won't lay a hand on your girlfriend. But, stay silent and I'll make _her_ death so slow and unbearable that she'll be speaking in tongues for me to end it all."

Elphaba cast her eyes downward and didn't say anything.

"Come now, make your decision. The night's not getting any younger."

Elphaba thought for a moment. She would rather die than let Glinda get hurt, and yet, betraying the Order wasn't an option, either. How could the Death Eaters get close enough to Glinda? Still, Ron's promising tone was unnerving. What if Glinda really did come looking for her? Elphaba knew that she was the rasher of the two, but if Glinda felt there was no other choice but to strike out on her own…

"Come on, Thropp. Choose," Ron urged, gruffer than before.

Elphaba clenched her fists by her side. "If you think that I'm going to betray the Order, you're even stupider than I anticipated," she laughed bitterly, tasting blood. "You won't get a single word out of me."

And as the first of many painful blows was delivered, the Death Eater eerily calmer, as though he was a different man outside these walls, Elphaba closed her eyes and hoped that Glinda would not leave the Hogwarts Grounds to come looking for her.

* * *

_He was in a cold room. Very cold. He shivered and looked around. There wasn't a soul there. Every crevice was still. No. Wait. Movement. He jumped backwards as a large snake slithered lazily through the open door and into the hallway._

_Harry immediately recognized the snake as Nagini. Careful to not make a sound, he stalked the snake down several levels. Looking out the window, he noticed a gravestone covered hill, decorated with a few rotting trees. It was familiar, but Harry couldn't identify how._

_He decided to worry about it later, continuing to tip-toe a reasonable space behind Nagini into the basement of the house. As suddenly as Nagini had appeared, however, she disappeared, leaving Harry alone in the dark hallway. There was a beckoning steel door at the end of said hallway._

_He warily made his way to the door and put his hand on the handle, speculating on where his Voldemort-induced vision had taken him this time. As his hand reached for the door, it was opened. Lucius Malfoy stood toweringly in front of him. _

_"Malfoy, have you informed the other Death Eaters that we have moved our prisoner?" a cold, slippery voice came from within the room. Voldemort. _

_"Yes, my Lord," Malfoy answered obediently. "They've yet to arrive."_

_Harry took this opportunity to slip into the room before Malfoy could close the door again. He was now in a room with walls made entirely of steel. Chains decorated one corner of the room. _

_Harry realized with growing horror that this was designed to be a makeshift torture chamber. His breathing became rapid as he realized that the chains bound none other than Fae. She had been shackled so that she could barely move. And from her current shape, she didn't seem to be up for a struggle anyway._

_He watched, unable to interfere, as Voldemort descended on the battered form of the green witch. _

_"All this loyalty," Voldemort sneered, "and for what? The people you believe are your friends aren't anywhere to be found. Not Potter, or Granger, or even Dumbledore. Not a soul searching for the poor, green witch. Not that they'd know where we are." As if she were a pet, Voldermort lifted a crooked hand and patted her lightly, his tone mocking. "They've abandoned you to die alone. All alone. Just answer what I ask and the sting won't be so bad."_

_"No!" Harry cried desperately, although Elphaba wouldn't be able to hear him. "Fae, hold on! I promise, we're coming! Where is this place? I need to know!"_

_"I will not be remembered as a traitor," Elphaba spat, her voice clear for how mangled she appeared, as she glared at the Dark Lord, "You _will_ be defeated someday, even if I'm not around to see it."_

_"Such a strong spirit," Voldemort mused. "It's a pity to waste. Hmm. Perhaps Malfoy will break you this round."_

_Harry felt his stomach contract as he saw something in Elphaba's darkened eyes that he had never seen before. Fear._

_Before Malfoy could walk over to Elphaba, Voldemort bent down and put a hand on her chin, turning her face towards him. "The Order will never find you. Your screams will go unheard. Your body will be left here to rot in the house of my filthy Muggle father. You're making it hard on yourself, Thropp. Think about it."_

_As Voldemort turned to leave Malfoy to his job, Elphaba summoned up her strength and spat at his feet. Eyes flashing with rage, the Dark Lord spun around._

_"I see now!" he announced, his voice creeping along Harry's spine. "You want to end yourself in the worst possible way. Don't worry, Thropp. I can accommodate your request. Crucio!"_

_Elphaba's high, withered screaming intermingled with Harry's as a searing pain seemingly split his head in two. His scar was burning and his head was on fire. He was drowning in the flames. Death would be preferable to this._

And then, he was being shaken awake. "Harry! Harry!"

Someone was calling him, tugging at his shoulders. But who? "Potter!"

It was more urgent this time. "Wake up!"

On command, he opened his eyes to meet a worried Madame Pomphrey and an unreadable Dumbledore leaning over his bed.

"Did you have a vision?" Dumbledore demanded, maybe a little too pressingly. "What happened?"

"Riddle House," Harry said, discovering his hoarse throat, "Fae is in the Riddle House."

**Coming up: A rescue plan gone (somewhat) wrong and a reason for Glinda and Hermione to panic.**

**Hehe. Next chapter is the big cliffhanger- although it's probably not the cliffhanger that you might think. OMG, I'm so excited (you might not be, though…)!!!**

**-Wolfie**


	23. Still Hurting

**The title for chapter twenty-two is from…Children of Eden. Congrats to Yank2324, X-Kate-X, and Easterly Winds.**

**I know these couples of chapters have been angsty, but I promise there'll be some fluff after all this to make up for it all. Promise.**

**And CardboardCreative also did a brilliant job beta-ing this chapter for me. She is now my official new co-author/beta. I think Mara quit on me. Cardboard will be my co-author/beta for the sequel as well. Yay!**

**Merlin, I can't believe I'm posting this early...MidnightPopcorn has convinced me to post this now instead of next Monday. Thank her. **

_Chapter 23: Still Hurting_

"Are you sure we're at the right place?" Hermione scanned the deserted hillside. "It doesn't look like there's anyone here… or ever has been."

"Don't question fate, Hermione. I know for a fact we're in the right place. See up there?" Harry pointed at an old house at the peak of the hill, features earnest. "That's the Riddle House."

"Fae's in there?" Snape raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I would suspect dozens of Death Eaters to be protecting the premises. She's not just a random prisoner."

"She's there, alright?" Harry snapped. He whacked the sides of his trousers angrily. "This is the house from my vision. They're keeping her in the basement."

"It's been two weeks since she was captured," Hermione noted, business-like. "If she's in as bad a condition as you described, Harry, then she could possibly be dead by now."

"It's better to know, 'Mione, than to keep wondering," Harry answered softly, "and if she _is_ dead, we can't leave her body here at any cost."

The trio began their ascent up the hill, the dewy grass rough and dying beneath their feet.

"Remember, our sole objective is to get Fae out of there. So try to remain as unobtrusive, as inconspicuous, as discreet-"

"We're not daft, Potter," interjected the Potions Master with a sneer, unhappy about their small hike. "If anyone deserves a reminder, it's you."

Hermione recognized that an argument was about to surface, which would be the last thing they needed. She quickened her pace and asked hastily, "Harry, are we the only ones? I thought Ron was supposed to be here as well."

Harry shrugged, indifferent. "I thought that more Order members equaled greater chances of being caught. And Ron's not coming. I asked him, but he got all moody like he does nowadays and said he was too busy with one thing or another."

"Busy?" Hermione brushed her frizzy hair from her eyes, frowning. "He seems to be awfully preoccupied lately. What in the world could he have gotten himself into now?"

Snape glowered at his ex-students as they reached the back door of the house and silenced them with an index finger. "Weasley can be under discussion later, preferably when I'm not around." He was practically whispering, the low droll of his voice still present.

Without waiting for his comrades to reply, he withdrew his wand from a pocket in his black robes and easily unlocked the door. With a gentle click, it opened, revealing a pitch-black hallway. It seemed guilty, as though it never saw the outside world before, or that it wasn't supposed to. The air that seeped out and diluted with the outside breeze was heavy and sinister.

Harry whipped out his wand and held it in front of him, poised like a man carrying a loaded pistol. He wondered if his pounding heart that reverberated off his ribcage was audible to the others. Harry was a little more nervous than he'd like to admit, and he hoped that his wand wasn't shaking.

"Hermione?" he practically breathed.

Hermione nodded, and halfway through the second bob of her head, she transformed into her animagus form, a tawny owl. Spreading her wings almost regally, she took flight into the dark, gaping hole of an entrance. Outside, Harry and Snape waited without sound, tense and skeptical of the near future, as anyone would be. After a few relentless minutes, the owl appeared from out of the darkness.

She landed awkwardly at the feet of her colleagues, being an owl who was used to perching on solid ground. Hermione was in human form just as swiftly as she had abandoned it.

"It's empty. There's a flight of stairs leading down at the end." She turned to Harry. "Harry, it…doesn't feel right, though."

"At least we know where we're going," Harry said, familiar with that sense of unease. He began walking into the house. "Let's go."

Once they were in the house, they closed to door behind them. They were immediately shrouded in pitch darkness and were unable to see their own hands in front of them in the unfamiliar blindness .

"You have your Portkeys?" Harry asked, his words made out of breath. He could only feel the movement of Hermione and Snape nodding. He turned to look down the hall. Their ears strained to recognize any sound, relying on their five senses instead of risking a light from their wands. The hallway was carpeted and musty, and clouds of dust loosened from the ceiling as they walked along. The flight of stairs came like an answer to Harry's prayers.

"This is it," Harry spoke in a hushed tone. "I was here in my dream. Over to your left is the steel door."

"Well, what is it that we're waiting for?" Snape slunk towards the door, careful in the dark. "The sooner we're out, the better. Alohomora."

Even to Snape's surprise, the door unlocked. He hypothesized heavy security, but Voldermort was obviously overconfident in his plans, which was unnerving.

Hermione hesitated as the others approached the door, and she received a cold stare from Snape, one that she could only feel. Their silhouettes became visible now in the light from beyond the steel door.

"You want an invitation, Granger?" Snape hissed.

"Come off it," she murmured, taking a few nimble steps. "Still, this just seems too… slack, too easy for us." She paused. "If Fae really is hidden down here, wouldn't there be Death Eaters around? If they were stupid, we'd have defeated them long before this. They wouldn't keep her without security."

"Let's count our blessings," Harry said impatiently. "Maybe they don't think she's capable of escaping. Now, let's take advantage of it."

For now, at least, Hermione cast away her doubts and followed Harry and Snape into the cold room. The worried feelings tightened at the sight of Elphaba's form chained to the wall. It felt like someone had inserted a wrung-out beach towel in her chest.

"Oh Merlin, Fae," she moaned, nausea fighting to get the best of her. She closed her eyes and covered her mouth to prevent herself from vomiting.

Dry blood matted Elphaba's hair, and streaked down her face and neck, contrasting deeply with her emerald skin, which was considerably dull and sickly yellow in the light. She looked like a disturbed interpretation of Christmas. Hermione didn't believe arms could twist into the odd angle that Elphaba's right arm was in. Purple bruises and open wounds riddled the visible parts of her arms, indicating that the rest of her body was in such a condition. The lingering stench reminded the witch of infection, and she feared that open sores like those could be the death of a person.

Mimicking that of a crucifix, Elphaba was strung up traditionally, arms supporting her entire body weight. They couldn't see her face properly, as it hung low on her chest. Each breath Elphaba took could only be identified with seconds of squinting, and they became scarcer and shallower even as they watched.

"Bastards," Snape inhaled sharply. "Those sadistic bastards."

Harry would have opened his mouth and reminded Snape of the day he was one with the 'sadistic bastards', but even he knew it wasn't the time for wit or superiority. Instead, he barked a command.

"Snape," he ordered, "help me unchain her. In these conditions, she's not going to last."

"And do you expect me to just stand around?" Hermione hissed, looking pale herself.

"No. Keep a lookout for Death Eaters, or Tom himself. Even if we haven't seen anyone yet, you're right. This is too easy…" Harry trailed off and held his courage.

Minutes ticked by as Harry and Snape worked without words to bring Elphaba from the wall, holding their breath at the sour smell of abused blood and flesh. Unlike the locks on the doors, simple unlocking charms wouldn't budge the manacles that bound the green woman. Harry searched his memory for the Auror lessons he was required to memorize.

Meanwhile, Elphaba was still unresponsive and heavy as deadweight, and if she was conscious, there'd be no way to tell.

"Ageru." Harry tried a spin-off of the 'Alohmora' charm, and Snape almost tripped over his robes to catch Elphaba as she fell forward.

"Help us support her," Harry urged Hermione, who obliged. "I can't support her and the Portkey back at the same time."

"Make sure her body is fully supported," reminded the Boy who Lived. "We could kill her on the way back if she isn't."

Hermione held onto Elphaba's stiff form as Harry fumbled with the Portkey from his pocket. It was a tin of mints. "Lemon drops," he recited, grasping his friend's forearm, ready to transport in a group.

Nothing happened.

Elphaba's rescuers froze as amused laughter filled the dark hallway outside. The footsteps sounded unreal, more like a shuffled slithering.

"And the Mudblood is correct again. You didn't think it would be so easy? '_Take advantage of the opportunity'_…" Voldemort mocked as he appeared in the doorway, lips curling into a smile that would appear to be a frown no matter how hard he tried.

"Those Portkeys are obsolete here, Potter. All around you are anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards. All about the house. You've just arrived. Don't you want to stay for some fun?"

Both Harry and Snape positioned themselves in front of Elphaba's useless body protectively.

"Stay away from Fae, Voldemort," Harry warned lamely, but he pointed his wand at the Dark Lord.

"That's just like you, Potter," Voldemort scoffed, "loyal to the bitter end. But, _you_ on the other hand…" he turned to Snape. The potions master pointed his wand with the same amount of gusto as Harry had.

"Severus, my slippery snake, did you think we would never meet again?" Voldemort wrung his weak, bony hands. "Now, I prefer this gathering to any other. For one, I am here. Then there's Severus, representing the traitor in all of us. Potter, in my hands _no matter how far you run. _The Mudblood: amusing as you are, I wonder how far you'd stray from your true lineage to stay alive. And, oh! We can't forget my new, favorite punching bag, can we?"

Harry held back the urge to scream, settling on clenching his fists instead. "How did you figure us out?" he demanded.

"The little boy wants to know how I figured him out!" Voldemort announced to no one, but laughed as he went along. It was he who caused the air to be so heavy. The dread in the room was volumous and weighed down on the trio. "Perhaps you'd like to ask a certain mutual friend of ours."

Scruffy red hair emerged from the darkness, revealing a smug looking Ronald Weasley. He was clad in Death Eater robes, amused by Harry's gaping expression.

"Fancy meeting you here, _mate_." He sneered, feeling stronger in the supportive presence of his Lord. The more Ron stepped forward, the more Harry shrunk from him. "Rather stingy accommodations, but what can you expect from a mere Muggle?"

"Ron?" Harry felt something cold in his chest, "what have you done now? Oh, Merlin, why?"

"Ha! Why?" growled the redhead, any pretense of kindness absent from his tone. "Because, Potter, there is power so much greater than you could ever imagine or possess. And now I have it, now that I've found my true calling."

He gave a slight bow, and Voldemort's expression of pure joy increased.

"I wanted power, I got it," Ron summarized. "I wanted you to feel pain, and you're feeling it. I wanted revenge on Thropp…"

"Y-you did this, Ron?" Hermione indicated the green witch in her arms, voice surprisingly shrill for the regret spelt on her face. "To another human being?"

"I can't take full credit," Ron shrugged nonchalantly, as if he were discussing the results of an unimportant Quidditch game, or the way he used to reveal his horrible scores of History of Magic tests. "My Lord _did_ give me special permission to have some fun with her, though."

Hermione shook under the weight of Elphaba's body. It one peered closely, it was caused by a shudder of anger. "That's impossible." She glared daggers at the Death Eater, as though this was just another argument like the ones they had had when they were in school. "I know you were always looking to be glorified, but… oh, Ronald, not like this! How could you?"

Ron watched her with an eyebrow raised, rocking on the balls of his feet. "How could I?" he reiterated, planning to answer. "Well, it's simple, really. I get my wand, and just shoot a curse. The Cruciatus always made her fall on her back, very vulnerable to punches. If you toss 'er here, 'Mione, I could demonstrate. Hey, better yet, put 'er down and come over here yourself. I've been thinking to have some fun with you as well."

If Hermione looked shocked, it was portrayed through her eyes, for her face was red as a beetroot from anger. She clutched the limp, green witch closer.

"You are pitiful, Weasley," Snape drawled, the grip on his wand tightening, itching to cast a killing cruse on the Death Eater before him. "Fae did nothing you could possibly extract revenge upon her for."

"Au contraire, you greasy traitor, her mere presence drove me to where I am today." Ron succumbed to a relaxed smile. "Her presence in England kept pushing, pushing, pushing me to the side, until I stumbled here."

"Ron," Harry pleaded softly, not willing to believe this was of his ex-friend's own free will. "Please, come back with us. Everything is fixable. Whatever happened to the eleven year old who sacrificed himself for friendship in a game of _real _Wizard's chess? Or the same boy, who, a year later, braved unlikely odds to save his sister from the same monster he's _serving_ now?"

As if an internal debate were being held behind Ron's eyes, his irises flickered, but it died as soon as it was born. "Don't pull that memory lane rubbish on me, Potter. My Lord and I – we've won! And Thropp's death will be the champagne bottle shattered on our sailing ship."

Snape grumbled something unintelligible to the others at their vicinity, but with a swift point at Ron with his wand, he let out a yell. "Avada Kedevra!"

The Killing Curse that was aimed at the Death Eater sped toward him, and he dove out of the way, creating a window of opportunity. Harry, Snape, and Hermione made a team effort of hauling Elphaba out of the door, moving swiftly as possible into the confusing hallway.

"Weasley! Don't let Thropp out of here! I want to see the light leave her eyes! I want to see her drown in her own blood! Bring them back here!" Voldemort barked, his voice crazed at he thought of how many ways Elphaba could die. His eyes were glowing with anger and a craving for Elphaba's blood.

Ron and Voldemort sprang after the three Order members, whose escape was hindered greatly by the dead weight Hermione was abandoned to carry alone. Ducking and weaving through the bombardment of curses sailing over their heads in fascinatingly beautiful and deadly colors, they desperately shot curses, randomly reaching over their shoulders, not worried if they reached their target so much as hoping it slowed their shadows down.

They reached the ground floor of the house huffing and puffing, throwing spells down the flight of stairs. Harry realized they weren't going to reach the door in time. For one thing, it was pitch dark, save for the flying curses, and the door was twice as far away as Ron was. The Death Eater would intercept their only exit. Harry wanted to laugh bitterly at Ron being the death of him.

Looking around wildly for any other possible escape route, Hermione pointed her wand at the walls next to her and screamed frantically, "Bombarda!"

The wall she aimed at exploded in huge chunks of stone and cement, creating a large hole for them to escape. The fog of dust, cement, and drywall threw Ron off for a moment, leaving Hermione to squeeze through the hole with Elphaba. Whipping out her Portkey before she even made it out of the house, it activated.

In a frantic rush of terror and dirt, Hermione, Harry, Snape, and Elphaba disappeared from the sight, reappearing in the cozily lit Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione landed on top of Elphaba, and jumped off in fright when they realized what it could do to her.

"Madame Pomphrey?" Hermione called. There was no reply from the nurse's office. The entire wing empty.

"Dammit," muttered Snape. "The one time we need her, she's not even around! That is what I call quality nursing."

"Quit being a jerk, and put her up on this bed," Harry directed, helping Hermione to her feet. "I'll find Madame Pomphrey. Snape, you should go find potions that Fae may need. Then, go and inform Dumbledore of all that's happened. Hermione, do your best to stabilize her until Pomphrey gets here!"

With a nod of affirmation from his companions, Harry trotted out of the Wing, broke out into a sprint, and hoped to Merlin they weren't too late. His mind split into several different directions, from Ron's turning to Pomphrey's whereabouts to Elphaba's blood-caked face. Then, he realized something.

The Maurader's Map.

He rushed to his room and found the old piece of parchment. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he panted between choked gasps for breath, tapping the parchment a little harder than intended. Instantly, an inky map of Hogwarts seeped through the piece of the parchment, revealing that Madame Pomphrey was currently walking into the entrance hall with Glinda. Pocketing the map, he set off at a dash towards the hall.

"Potter?" Pomphrey squinted at the Boy-Who-Lived. "What's going on?"

"We need you- Hospital Wing- Fae!" Harry gasped, holding his sides and emitting wheezing coughs.

Madame Pomphrey was already twenty paces ahead of him by the time he stood up, and he hurriedly followed her back to the Hospital Wing.

"Harry?" Glinda said timidly, feeling mildly disoriented. She already decided she didn't want an answer, but she asked anyway. "H-how is Elphie?"

The dark haired man gave her a serious look, feeling like he was about to break the sad news that his little daughter that he couldn't buy her ice cream today. He sighed, and not just to steady his breathing. "It's like this, Glinda," he fumbled, "I'm surprised she's still alive. And from the way things look… err… they don't look good."

Glinda continuously repeated mentally that she would not cry under any circumstances as they reached the Hospital Wing. She pushed the doors open and charged through, halting in her steps and covering her mouth at Elphaba's emaciated form. The blonde's vision swam, preventing her from seeing the damage in its full extent. Wiping her tears on her sleeve, she surveyed her lover's body, holding in sobs, which resulted in cramps.

"Elphie," Glinda whispered, pushing aside some hair from the unconscious witch's forehead. She spoke quietly, pretending that only she and Elphaba could hear. "Oh, look what they did to you. I'm so sorry, Elphie. Please forgive me. Please wake up so you can hear me."

"Alright, people. Stop crowding her!" Pomphrey snapped, sounding very much like an Auror herself as she walked up to the bed, bundles of supplies under each arm. "Potter, I assume the Headmaster knows of Fae's rescue?"

"No, but I sent Snape to get him a few minutes ago. He should be back by now. Where the bloody hell is he?" Harry asked no one in particular.

"No need to worry, dear boy." Dumbledore swept in from behind them, like an omniscient wind. "I came as soon as Severus found me. Poppy, how does Fae look at this point?"

"Give me time, Albus. I just got to her. Patience," she soothed, casting a diagnostic spell. She coughed, not unprofessionally.

"Potter, write this all down." She ordered, Harry jumped to a quill and parchment at the bedside. "Malnourishment, two cracked ribs, a broken right arm, various infected wounds, severe blood loss, blood accumulation in the lungs, deep bruises, damaged vocal cords, second degree burns, crook and flail markings, and a slight concussion."

"Merlin," Harry spoke softly as he concluded the list of injuries. What were the possibilities that anyone could survive that?

"Glinda," Pomphrey said suddenly, causing the woman to jump. "I've been teaching you some healing techniques to help aid in this war. I know it's sudden, but now you need to make use of yourself. Stop any spreading infections and bandage the open wounds."

Glinda nodded, not bothering to speak. She didn't think there was much use of her words if Elphaba couldn't hear. All she had to say was directed at the unconscious green witch anyway.

Madame Pomphrey turned to face Snape, her stamina against panic unsullied. "Snape, I need a Blood Replenishing Potion and a Pepper-up Potion. An Anti-Cruciatus, as well. Fae is relying on you to do this quickly for her."

"Pomphrey, how do you expect Fae to drink the potions?" shot the Potions Master. "If you hadn't noticed, the unconscious tend to lose their thirst."

"We can't wait for her to wake up; we'll inject it directly to the bloodstream. The potency of the potion will lessen, yes, but she's in great need of them all, especially the Blood Replenishing Potion."

Snape stood still, waiting for further instruction it seemed. Pomphrey barked at him impatiently, "Go now!" She motioned for Hermione to come forward, who was still covered in plaster and dust from the explosion. "Granger, help me clear her lungs. That's the culprit for her trouble with stabilizing."

The bushy haired witch stumbled through the bundles for the proper supplies, Pomphrey pointing out what they should and shouldn't use. She twirled to Dumbledore and Harry. "Albus, you and Potter will have to leave now." Harry made to argue, but she swatted at him, herding them out the doors. "Out! Now! Out!"

"Please, Madam Pomphrey," Glinda appeared, placing the bandages and salves on the bedside table, "will Elphie be alright?"

Madam Pomphrey's face softened for the first time since entering the Wing, exhaling politely so as not to upset the girl. "It doesn't look good right now. There are too many injuries to tell right away. When we drain her lungs and you dress her wounds, then I'll obverse her for a while. Don't cry, dearie. This is to be expected. Suck in your pride for now." Pomphrey patted the blonde's shoulders with light sympathy. "With luck, she'll pull through."

Glinda turned away and held back her tears, knowing she promised not to cry. Suppressing a flash of memories proved hard to do. Images of romping around Shiz's campus, rounds of laughter in the pub in town with Fiyero, their first night together at Hogwarts, their lips touching in the changing room before Elphaba was captured. Why did she feel so useless?

"Pomphrey!" Hermione called, breaking Glinda's train of thought. "Help me!"

"What is it? What's happened?" The nurse strode toward the bed, wand in one hand, and plastic tubing in the other.

"I-I cast the Clearing Spell," Hermione shrieked, hands flying frantically, "and Fae's not breathing… she's not breathing!"

**Coming up: Glinda spills her heart out. **

**Seeing that this was posted earlier, this cliffhanger will be resolved on Sunday/Monday rather that two weeks from Monday. I hope you're happy! Spoil my fun, why don't you? **

**-Wolfie**


	24. Woman to Woman

**The title for chapter twenty-three is from…Last 5 Years. Congrats to Easterly Winds, maureen is me, Yank2324.**

**Second to last angsty chapter for now. Promise. Please don't cry…although **_**I **_**almost cried when I reread it…You can thank CardboardCreative for being such a good beta and actually making me close to crying.**

_Chapter 24: Woman to Woman_

In one, fowl swoop, it seemed to Glinda that all her hopes disappeared. She literally froze in her steps, impotent with fear and head dizzy with scrambled words. Being present to words of impending death didn't evoke the kindest feelings, especially if the one dying was your lover. Luckily, Madame Pomphrey was much more composed.

"Calm down, both of you!" she snapped, using her first three fingers to feel Elphaba's jugular vein. "Though weak, Thropp still has a pulse. Do you know the 'mouth-to-mouth' revival, Granger? Well, go on, do it now!"

Hermione leaned over the green witch and clasped her nostrils. Uncovering her wand, the sharp old nurse cast "Respiro" two or three times, aiming at Elphaba's chest, but being careful to not hit the bushy haired witch. The seconds that passed felt more like minutes, and before one of the latter was up, Elphaba was sucking in air with a healthy vigor.

The three witches stood over their unconscious comrade, looking up at one another in question. They seemed to repeat a steady 'what do we do next?', although no one answered. Hermione wrung her hands.

"I- I think we should-" began Hermione, but before she finished, Elphaba interrupted with a gurgled cough, followed by a fit of coughs and gasps. Blood spurted from her mouth, and Glinda jumped back.

"Granger, the spell! Again!" Pomphrey ordered, her rigid form hovering over Elphaba with her wand grasped in one hand. "Her lungs aren't clear yet; she'll choke on her own blood."

Hermione nodded and whipped out the long, dark wooded stick and turned to the green woman, who was now thrashing about violently, causing the bed sheets to go flying off the mattress and land in a twisted mess. Elphaba was expressing the need for air, her mouth acting as a geyser of blood, oozing the red liquid out to spill down her neck.

"Hold her!" Pomphrey barked at Glinda. The blonde dropped the bandages in her hands and grasped her girlfriend's shoulders firmly with one arm and her torso with the other, ignoring the bruises she was pressing into.

"It's all right, Elphie," she whispered. Although she was close enough to get the crimson liquid on herself, Glinda was still unsure if Elphaba could hear. "You're safe. You're with us – Hermione and Harry and everyone – you're safe. I promise."

Elphaba's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, brown eyes locked with blue. Elphaba's eyes were glazed with pain, and Glinda didn't know if Elphaba could even see her. It was a rare moment of humanity when a person accidentally catches glimpse of eternity, and the powers that be must stumble to erase the sight. After a matter of seconds, Elphaba was down again; miserably unconscious in the chaos she created. Everyone surrounding her who had been holding their breath let it out in relief.

The blonde continued to whisper comforting words of encouragement to her love as the trio, feeling their burden lessen, worked to soothe Elphaba's immediate wounds and dress them accordingly. Harry was right: the green woman had just been pulled back at the brink of death, and someone important was fond of her. Being fond of Elphaba herself, Glinda send a silent thanks to the Unnamed God, although she wasn't exempt from the painful days to follow.

Finally, Madame Pomphrey relaxed the thin line of a frown on her face and let out a sigh. "We've done the best we can, for now. We'll have to observe her for the next while, but now, let's give her some rest."

Hermione looked at the nurse with a small smile. "You _do_ know that once Fae wakes up, she's going to try and get out of here, right?"

Pomphrey shook her head in exasperation. "As usual," she grumbled. "If I'm here, I'll stop her, of course, but if I'm not…Glinda, I assume you'll probably be here."

"Definitely," Glinda said, feeling slightly annoyed that someone would suggest she not be at that exact bedside until Elphaba could leave.

"Good. Then we've no worries in that department. Just don't wear yourself out, dearie. Thropp isn't the only one who needs to rest," Pomphrey warned with an accusing finger before retreating back to her office.

Taking a freshly laundered cloth from a pile at the bed table, Glinda gently wiped away the blood that stained Elphaba's face and neck, careful not to wet her dark hair. Hermione stood and watched for a moment, receding into her own thoughts and not paying attention. Then, she realized that she was standing there and doing nothing and therefore turned to leave.

"Hermione," Glinda started, sitting down in the chair by the bedside, indicating Elphaba, "how do you think she'll fair? I'm terrified."

The bushy haired witch paused at the door of the Hospital Wing and whacked her sides, shrugging without enthusiasm. "If she survives tonight, then she'll be fine. But mentally, it's hard to tell, Glinda. I, er… we don't know what she went through with Voldemort and the Death Eaters… or what they did to her. The ramifications could be fear, anxiety, anger, depression… I've seen it all from rescued prisoners. If she's not in a right state, don't be surprised."

Glinda opened her mouth to reply when Harry and Dumbledore entered through the doors, giving Hermione a fright. They walked, grunting their greetings, to Elphaba's bed, and looked down at her. Glinda couldn't help but compare it to how people would pay their last respects to a dead body.

_For Lurline's sake, Glinda_, she berated herself, _Elphaba's _not_ dead. She's breathing perfectly. She's perfectly okay. Perfectly._

"Hermione," Dumbledore said at length, "Harry informed me of the rescue…and about Ron."

"I don't understand," Harry said apathetically. "Why Ron? How could he possibly do this?" He waved a hand over Elphaba, as if casting a spell. "I can't believe I didn't see the change in him… I just pushed him away. I shouldn't have ignored him."

"Harry, I don't think you would make a difference," assured Dumbledore, his beard swung over his shoulder. "If Ronald was enticed by the promise of power that Voldemort pitches, then no one could possibly have swayed him back to us. It would only be a matter of time before the temptation became too great for him to resist."

Glinda blinked, remembering images of the redheaded, freckled man pouting with disgruntlement. "RON?" she shrieked, cringing at the realization of Elphaba's slumber. She spoke quietly this time. "It was Ron who hurt her like this?"

The two friends and Dumbledore didn't answer her verbally, but their silence spoke volumes.

"_No one_ hurts my Elphie and gets away with it," Glinda hissed, in an uncharacteristic burst of anger.

"Glinda, don't. Fae needs you at her side right now," Harry said sternly. "She would never forgive herself if you went out looking for revenge and got hurt in the process. You understand me?"

Glinda nodded. "And what will happen to Ron, then?" she asked, still furious that someone Elphaba knew, and at least trusted somewhat, would be the cause of such betrayal and desecration.

"If we capture him, he'll go to Azkaban, I suppose," Dumbledore said. "After a trial."

"_If_ you capture him?" Glinda almost yelled. "You mean he's not going to pay for what he did to Elphie? And even if you _did_ manage to catch him, there's a chance the trial would see him free? What kind of world _is _this?"

"We were a bit preoccupied with saving Fae, not to mention getting _ourselves_ out of the Riddle House to bother with capturing Ron. _Sorry_ about that," Harry snapped, annoyed.

Fiyero burst through the door with a giant bang, his ungraceful feet heavy and noisy on the stone floor. At the receiving end of three identical glares, he turned to the only person who was not looking at him in anger and who in fact didn't change expressions at all.

"Fiyero!" admonished Hermione. "Fae is sleeping. _Be quiet_."

"Sorry," Fiyero apologized, checking Elphaba to see if she woke during his arrival, with no avail. He pulled up a chair on the opposite side of Glinda, and studied Elphaba's almost lifeless profile.

Hermione gave Harry a meaningful look, who nodded solemnly and left the room with Hermione and Dumbledore following suit leisurely.

"Hey Elphaba," Fiyero began awkwardly, glancing nervously at Glinda, for he was not used to talking to the unconscious. "It's Fiyero." He looked at Glinda again, unsure of what to say. Glinda let out a ragged breath, and turned away slightly, granting him privacy.

"Snape told me about everything. Ron, and Voldemort, and…" Fiyero paused for a moment, "…and your condition. I'm sorry, Elphaba. That night we left Oz, I promised you that I would protect you. Even if we're not together, I still stuck to that endeavor. Obviously, I failed. Oz, but I promise you- I promise you that I won't leave you unprotected again.

"You need to wake up, Fabala, you just have to. You have too much to live for." His voice cracked, despite himself. "Me, and Harry, not to mention Glinda. You can't leave her, Elphaba. Think about her. Don't give up. Don't break that spotless record."

Fiyero sucked in air and gave the limp hand within his a light squeeze. "Please be alright," he whispered as he kissed her knuckles. He looked up at Glinda, who was turned, but eavesdropping all the same. "Do you want some time alone with her? Will you be alright?"

"Yes, please." She turned back to face him, intentionally tiptoeing over his second question. Giving a slight nod and casting one last unreadable glance at Elphaba, Fiyero left. Glinda sat down and watched him walk away, his boots clicking with every step until the door closed behind him.

"Elphie," began the blonde, leaning her elbows on the mattress, "I'm so glad you're alive. I'm sorry for- for everything. Please, I'm begging you, just wake up. Everything will be okay again when you wake up."

The green woman lay on the bed, unresponsive, a polar opposite of minutes before when she was thrashing and desperate to breath. She was completely unaware of the world around her. The blonde didn't expect any miracles, but wished for one selfishly. She was unable to help the tears that ran unchecked down her cheeks. Elphaba's dark, somewhat matted hair was sprawled on the pillowcase, and Glinda busied herself with carefully tidying its position as she brushed it with her fingers.

"I never told you this, Elphie, but after you died- or faked your death, I suppose- I spent a lot of the nights staying up, watching the moon. Remember what you said about the moon all those years ago, at Shiz? I doubt you remember, to even expect me to."

Glinda wasn't exactly sure why she was talking to an unconscious person, or even what possessed her to. Something needed to be done – anything – to motivate Elphaba to wake. Perhaps in her deep state of sleep, the green woman could hear Glinda.

"You told me that you loved the moon because it never judged you. It was just there - the only constant in your life. I listened to you for once, Elphie, and when you were gone, it was my turn to keep the moon as my friend. I spilled everything. In a way, it was a means to stay connected with you, even before you were gone.

"Dumbledore asked me to fight in this war, and I didn't want to be involved in something so huge, so I was hesitant. Then, you know what? I thought of you, Elphie. You gave me the courage, and Oz, you were even here! It was one of the best decisions of my life. In coming here…I found you."

Glinda paused to collect her thoughts, and she heard the large doors open softly (for once) behind her back.

"Glinda?" Hermione called, seeing the blonde's shoulder slumped over the mattress, unsure if she walked into something personal. "Are you coming to dinner?"

Glinda shook her head, not quite trusting herself to speak.

"Are you sure?" pressed the bushy haired witch. "You haven't eaten much lately, and now that Fae's going to be alright-"

"No, Hermione," Glinda said with surprise force. "We _don't _know if she'll be alright. I have to be here for her when she wakes up."

Hermione knew better than to rebuttal with the fact Elphaba wouldn't wake for a good while. She tapped her foot impatiently and grasped the door handle. "I'll bring you something later." She promptly shut the door, making a mental note to mention her worries for Glinda's health to Madame Pomphrey.

Sighing to let out the annoyance of an interruption, Glinda looked back at Elphaba's calm face and continued.

"When you were in the Great Hall that day… I couldn't believe you were real. I thought it might have been a rude joke by loyalists to the wizard, or even Dumbledore. I just... couldn't believe it. I kept expecting you to disappear that first week. But you didn't. I stopped talking to the moon because I wasn't alone anymore. Lurline, Elphie, I was so happy."

Thinking back, infusing the memory with the painful part of the story, Glinda felt her eyes prickle with fresh tears, and blinked roughly to get them over with.

"And then, you were taken away again. It was like… ripping open an old scab. Or better yet, tearing apart parchment. I didn't know anything except that you were probably in constant pain and it was all my fault. I couldn't eat, because I could only remember how you were going to be starved, and I couldn't sleep because every time I closed my eyes, I would only see you being beaten.

"So, I started talking to the moon again. I told it about my fears of what was happening to you – to us. And then, today, Harry brought you back. You're so fickle, Elphie! One minute we're perfectly happy, and the next…you're gone, leaving me with nothing but memories. And it happens so often! You stopped breathing today, and so did I. You were dying in front of me and I couldn't do anything about it."

Elphaba's eyelids fluttered for a moment and Glinda felt like her heart literally skipped a beat. "Elphie?" she whispered hopefully, enquiringly. "Can you hear me?" She fumbled for Elphaba's hand. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

There wasn't even a slight response. Glinda let go of Elphaba's hand and watched it fall back down on the blankets. She impulsively resumed stroking Elphaba's hair. "Why does everything happen to you, Elphie? You done too many good things to deserve this. After everything you've done for everybody… and for me, I should be the one lying there and suffering like that."

Glinda scanned the confining walls of the Hospital Wing, breaking from the devastating, yet slightly peaceful, expression on Elphaba's face. Glinda felt like the walls were crashing in on her, solid waves in a stone ocean, with no way of escape. She hadn't an idea of how to help Elphaba out of this situation. She couldn't tell how much pain was exhausted on the green body. She wanted dearly to clutch it closely enough to transport all the pain to herself. But she couldn't. Completely useless. Glinda felt completely useless.

"I don't care what Hermione or Harry or anyone says, Elphie. The people who did this to you are going to pay dearly. If you could call them people."

And they would. If Glinda ever encountered Ronald Weasley again, she didn't know what kind of force she'd unleash on him. She didn't think she would be able to restrain herself, and momentarily indulged in the thought of him begging for his life.

It was always Elphaba who played the strong role. And now that Glinda was under the gruesome responsibility, she didn't plan to fail. "Don't worry, Elphie. I'm here. I'll always be here for you."

* * *

Days passed. The sun rose and set in continual cycles, just as it always did. With each dying day, Elphaba showed no signs of awakening. And with each dying day, Glinda felt dread take the place of her faith, in intangible pieces.

She committed her time to the Hospital Wing, making it as much her home as it became Elphaba's. Neglecting her own needs of food and sleep, she hardly left the bedside. If ever she caught herself dosing off on the edge of the mattress, Glinda simply took to pacing at the foot of it.

She did anything and everything around the Wing, from speaking to Elphaba to assisting Madame Pomphrey in changing wound dressings to occasionally running chores around the Wing for the nurse. All the while, she kept close watch to the unmoving form on the bed, save for the slight rising and falling chest, never breaking its pattern.

An odd five days following Elphaba's rescue, Madame Pomphrey gathered her wits and asked Glinda to sit with her. Pulling up a chair next to the one Glinda was wearing down, the nurse watched Elphaba and wondered how someone could become fixated on a thing that hardly moved. Interesting as the beautiful shade of her skin was, intense as the power of her human life was, Elphaba was still boring as a doorknob. It would drive a woman to insanity.

The nurse feared just that, under the circumstances if Elphaba never did wake up. He blonde's entire life had become devoted to watching Elphaba, waiting patiently, inspecting every aspect of the green witch's unconsciousness.

"Glinda?" Pomphrey began hesitantly. Glinda turned to look at her, unresponsive, but beckoning a continuance. "Glinda, you should get some sleep. I'll watch over Thropp for you, and I'll even wake you if there's any change. But it's not healthy for you to carry on like this."

"Understand that I need to be here for Elphaba _when_ she wakes up," Glinda persisted stubbornly. "Not after. Besides, it's not like I'll be able to sleep. Not until I know Elphaba is awake..."

"Glinda…" Pomphrey sighed, pushing aside annoyance to accommodate her sympathy for what the blond was going through. "There isn't a clue of what's going to become of her. After those injuries, I thought Thropp a dead woman. Alive now, yes, but waking up is an entirely different issue."

"But she will," Glinda said, careful to not sound maddened. "Elphie keeps defying expectations. It's in her nature. Who's to say she won't defy this one as well?"

Pomphrey groaned openly. She was too old to bat around the bush and she lacked the patience. She had hoped that she didn't have to do what she arranged, but now…

Reaching to the bedside table, she retrieved a goblet of water, the outer metal moist with condensation. "Fine, I'm in no position to force you. At least drink something, dear. It's one thing to be exhausted, but I don't want to _admit_ you here for dehydration."

Pomphrey didn't feel guilt about slipping the potent sleeping potion into the water, confident that her judgment was flawless. The idea was to keep the blonde unconscious for a day or two, so that she could catch up on the hours she missed. Merlin knows she required rejuvenation: the bags beneath her blue eyes were out of place on her delicate features.

Without suspicion, Glinda accepted the water and drank it greedily. The nurse smiled smugly at how little the blonde stopped to breath.

Standing up to stretch, Glinda stumbled slightly. Her limbs grew heavier suddenly, as they did when one is about to retire. As she cast her eyes downward at Elphaba, she wondered if Elphaba felt her body at all: if it felt as heavy as Glinda did now. She inhaled sharply, realizing that Pomphrey had tricked her into drinking a goblet full of something obviously not water.

"You…" Glinda felt too tired to find the words, and sat down before she could fall over. Didn't she witness Hermione getting poisoned only a month ago? Madame Pomphrey should have known better than to inflict that kind of anxiety again.

The nurse clasped her hands and stood up. "It was for your own good, Glinda. You needed to sleep." Her accented voice became increasingly warbled and echoed in Glinda's mind, reverberating off her skull. Soon, her vision blurred and her eyelids were too heavy to keep open. The world began to tilt, and all Glinda could think about was closing her eyes.

So she did.

**Coming up: Hurt and comfort.**

**Okay…here's the deal. I'm going to Ashland on Friday until the Wednesday after that. Depending on if chapter 26 ****is finished from now until Thursday, I might update chapter 25 sometime before Ashland.**

**Then, I'm going to Yellowstone the next Wednesday. I'll probably update in the Monday between those two Wednesdays, but you might have to wait until I get back from Yellowstone…**

**And I'm auditioning for 'Singin' in the Rain' this week. Wish me good luck!**

**-Wolfie**


	25. There Will Be A Miracle

**The title for chapter twenty-four is from…The Pirate Queen. Congrats to RECblue8 and Yank2324. **

**Last angsty chapter. Although I didn't think it was **_**that**_** angsty. We'll see.**

_Chapter 25: There Will Be a Miracle_

She wasn't sure her eyes were open. It was so dark that if they were, Elphaba wouldn't be able to see through the blackness. The darkness consumed her, grinding any feasible excuse for a sense of where and who she was into nothing. Therefore, she tried to open her eyes, wondering defiantly if there was something through the obscurity.

A blurred shape appeared when she did so. Closing her eyes again, Elphaba listened to the sounds surrounding her, which slowly formed into words as she focused."…week… live… conscious…" These words, though recognizable, meant nothing to the green woman, and she quickly fell into unconsciousness once more.

The next time she opened her eyes, they felt heavy, with her eyeballs completely dry. Everything she saw was immensely bright, a whiteness so overwhelming that she had to squeeze her eyelids together to be rid of the sting. She winced as pressure built on her forehead. "No, no," she mumbled, becoming distressed and wanting to move away from whatever it was. "Stop. No more."

The old nurse's heart broke at hearing Elphaba beg. Elphaba was usually a resilient, sturdy young woman, almost jaded to the chaotic way of the world. Madame Pomphrey dropped her work and went to take control of the situation before Elphaba suffered damage through a panic attack. She held down weak limbs and spoke clearly to her.

"Calm down, Thropp!" Pomphrey snapped when the green woman wouldn't give up her fight. "You'll reopen your wounds and destroy all our hard work!"

Elphaba didn't seem to register what Madame Pomphrey was saying, nor the implications of it. Her pupils were dilated and she couldn't see properly. She broke out of the nurse's grip, dashed out of bed, and darted about the room, a primal response to escape danger. However, Elphaba quickly fell in a heap from misusing her neglected legs. Sighing, Pomphrey gathered a needle and plunged a calming draught into Elphaba's bloodstream, who remained indifferent during the process.

"Thropp. Listen to me." She meant to be stern, looking the green witch in the eyes, which had finally focused. "You're at Hogwarts, in the Hospital Wing. You are safe."

_Safe, safe, safe_. The word sunk into Elphaba and reminded her to act politely. It didn't feel to her that it was Pomphrey telling her this, though. It was someone else far away- perhaps a memory.

"Hogwarts," Elphaba croaked, her throat burning with misuse. Her own voice sounded unfamiliar, as though an elderly smoking stranger was manipulating her body. "H-how did I get here?"

"Don't talk now; your vocal cords are raw. They were damaged and still need time to heal completely. Harry, Severus, and Hermione brought you back a week ago."

Elphaba opened her mouth to speak, but Pomphrey quickly interrupted by grabbing a quill and a piece of parchment. "Here." She offered it to Elphaba. "Use it."

Elphaba grasped the quill and discovered that it was more than just her throat that ached. The very recesses of her skeleton seemed to wince in pain, with surging roots of throbbing extending into fresh sores. Biting her lip to suppress the surprise, she scrawled with her left arm instead of her broken right. It proved useful to be ambidextrous.

"_What happened?"_ The handwriting border lined illegible, too loopy for her own liking.

"That story would be yours." Pomphrey visibly relaxed now that Elphaba calmed. "To tell us, that is. You were severely tortured by Death Eaters during your two week ordeal. It wasn't even certain if you would survive. We thought you a dead woman, Thropp."

"_We?_"

"Hermione, Glinda, and I. Not to mention Dumbledore, Potter, and Fiyero. They've been checking up on you continuously. Honestly! You just woke up, why must you question me so quickly?" huffed the nurse, used to the quiet.

"_Glinda was here? Where is she?"_ The length of time it took to write down her questions increased Elphaba's annoyance at this rule Madame Pomphrey imposed on her. She wanted to speak, but her throat was warning against it.

"Sleeping," Pomphrey answered simply, shrugging somewhat. "She wanted to follow in your footsteps and faint from exhaustion. So, I slipped her a sleeping draught yesterday. She's out like a light. The two of you deserve each other. Neither of you know your own limits."

Elphaba made to write something when Pomphrey suddenly snatched the writing utensils away. The green witch looked up with anger and glared steadily at the nurse. "The chatting comes later, Thropp. You need to sleep as well."

"No, I just slept for a week," Elphaba protested, her throat doing its own resistance. Pain settled in a blistering sensation. "I want to know what's happened-"

"Shush," the nurse barked. "You sound like you've been through the meat grinder. Unless you want to permanently damage that voice of yours, be quiet! And get some sleep!"

"But-" Elphaba began to protest, but sighed with dejection. She would eliminate the weariness in her bones if she slept, and Pomphrey would most likely go away. With assistance, she crawled back under the bed sheets, rolled her eyes, and accepted the open arms Morpheus always offered.

* * *

Glinda Upland was dually upset and enraged that Madame Pomphrey would slip her a sleeping draught. The old cow knew the importance of staying at Elphaba's bedside. She also experienced the scare of Hermione being poisoned a few weeks earlier. What if something terrible were to occur and she and Pomphrey were absent, resulting in either damage or death to the elegant green woman lying vulnerable in her bed?

There had to be steam shooting out of the blonde's ears. She took deep breaths on her way to the Hospital Wing, hoping to get rid of the anger rising inside of her like bile. Opening the door, she peered in, as if expecting to frighten someone entering. Elphaba lay on the bed, where she'd always been.

"Oh, Glinda. You've woken." Madame Pomphrey was stationed a few paces from Elphaba, welcoming the blonde without expression. "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone I trusted just tricked me. How could you?" Glinda hissed, advancing like a pink, fluffy snake. "How could you put me to sleep? I am awake to take care of Elphie – are you that _opposed_ to the idea?"

"In order to care for Thropp, you need to take care of _yourself_ first," Pomphrey instructed, sighing as if all her wisdom went unappreciated by the youth of the building. "If you're falling over exhausted, you very well can't restart someone else's pulse."

Glinda bit her tongue, aware of Pomphrey's correctness. She didn't want to admit defeat, so she put away her irritation for the time being and turned toward Elphaba. "Has she changed at all?" she asked, sounding a little more desperate than intended. "It's been a whole week. Surely something's changed."

"Well," the nurse smiled knowingly, like she was boasting over a prize, "Thropp did wake earlier, but went back to sleep shortly."

"She woke up without me? Why didn't you wake me?" Glinda hurried to collect Elphaba's hand in her own. Her stomach bubbled boiling anger, disappointed that she spent an entire week waiting for a lost moment. " How was she? Is she in pain? Did she say anything? Did she mention me? What-"

"The questions!" Madame Pomphrey threw her hands up in frustration. "Always with the questions: first her and now you! I can't answer them all at once, you know." Pomphrey grinned, amused at how eager the blonde grew with each passing second. "She went back to sleep not five minutes after waking. That's hardly enough time to get anything out of her, like she'd tell me, anyway. She's the kind of woman who bottles up feelings and casts them out into her own sea."

Glinda nodded. Of all the people she could analyze, Elphaba was one she knew better than herself. Madame Pomphrey had a way of looking down at the blonde and creating a shift of aggravation at how much she pretended Glinda didn't know of the green witch.

"How long ago did she get up?"

"Maybe three hours ago-" the nurse waved her head about, thinking. She was interrupted by a low moan, shrouded by sleep. She grunted, "Oh, and we spoke too loudly."

Glinda screamed with glee. "Elphie!" She carefully stroked Elphaba's face, forehead to cheekbone as she anticipated open eyes.

Elphaba tried to register her surroundings, preferring sleep to the wakeful world. The nothingness of sleep was so tempting that some days, she wondered why she even bothered to open her eyes. Someone touched her face again, this time more tenderly, but she flinched all the same.

"Elphie?" Glinda hesitated, worry etched into her features when she felt Elphaba recoil. "Elphie, it's just me. It's Glinda."

"Glinda?" Elphaba rasped, still deciding whether she was awake or not. "You're here?"

"I'll _always_ be here," the blonde emphasized her words. She pulled up a chair and nimbly sat at the bedside. "I promise."

Elphaba looked over at the blonde, her eyes focusing on soft features that were directed at her. She looked at Glinda almost dreamily and smiled as she remembered how beautiful the blonde really was. "How are you? Are you alright?"

"Well, of course I'm alright!" Glinda burst out, bemused, but smiling as well. "That's backwards. How are _you_ feeling?"

"Alright," the green witch shrugged, but a pain rattled through her ribcage, playing like a ghastly xylophone. Elphaba shut her eyes in hopes of wishing away that pain.

"You're not alright, Elphie. Just tell me how you really feel. It's okay." The blonde leaned in, pity written all over her face.

"You should be truthful, Thropp," the nurse interjected as she walked into the conversation. "It'll help with the healing process. If you tell us where you're sore, we'll focus on abolishing it."

Elphaba turned her head away from them, a simple gesture. "I…can't." She was never prepared to be thrust into a subdominant position. Her entire life was scheduled around being the strong side to Nessarose, or the pride of anarchy. The dwelling question, like a meal that settled improperly, remained as to how she couldn't defend herself against Weasley and the other Death Eaters. Why did she freeze with fear and succumb to the torturous methods of information extraction? She had almost allowed herself to become just another casualty of this war. What little dignity survived was focused into concealing the Order's secrets.

"Elphie-" Glinda began, settling for humorlessness.

"Just don't, Glinda." Elphaba cut into the blonde's words, head still turned. Glinda shrunk back at Elphaba's tone, which wasn't sharp, but it wasn't kind either. She had never heard Elphaba sound defeated like that before. "I-I just want to sleep. Can we talk later?"

"Of course, Thropp," Pomphrey answered, infuriating Glinda further. "I'm glad you finally accepted the concept of sleep."

She grabbed the unsettled blonde and dragged her away. Elphaba closed her eyes, listening to the hushed tones of their conversation without interest. She didn't intend to sleep, but rather, wanted to avoid displaying what vulnerability looked like plastered on green. The patronizing tones of her girlfriend and the Hogwarts nurse were too much for her- a reminder of defeat and human necessity to treatment.

"Why's Elphie acting like this?" Elphaba heard Glinda ask in a small voice, mousy, if not frightened. "I don't understand why she won't let us help her. Is it that bad?"

Madame Pomphrey let out air and clasped her hands together with a ringing sound. "I think Thropp wants to spare us from seeing her weak. We're going through a war, and not just out here in England. Think about it from her perspective, dear. She's been locked away and brutalized for a great deal of time, probably ashamed, pained, and angry with her captors. Moreover, she doesn't want to be perceived as pathetic and unable to defend herself."

"But…but there's nothing wrong with that," Glinda protested, in the girlish, foolish way she always did. "I would be more worried if she didn't break down. She's been hurt before, but not like this. I just want her to be alright."

"I know," Pomphrey replied, "but she's a bitter thing. In her heart, she probably knows it's okay to act realistically, but there's someone or something in there warding her against it. How she's feeling… well, she wants to conceal it all."

"Well, I'm going to let her know that it's okay," Glinda said determinedly. Elphaba imagined her striking a pose, more unconsciously than out of fortitude. "I don't know how, but I will."

* * *

However, doing so proved a rougher task than Glinda anticipated. Elphaba grew defensive with offers of assistance, shrugging off any aids. She built a fortress around herself and turned from a film of avoidance into a brick wall of separation. The blonde felt as frustrated trying to help Elphaba as the green girl did rejecting it. Not only did the green witch's body hurt, but her mental state suffered too; the aches of her skin caused her concealing power to grow. Once again, Glinda felt unable to do anything relevant, useless as she did before.

A few nights later, Elphaba was startled awake by another nightmare. It was familiar to the others, with visions of chains and flails, her own blood littering the floor, and her face being ground into it. Taunts flew like colorful curses and she shivered at the thought. She pulled the blanket up to her chin, but chills flew up her arms and legs as the sheets proved useless.

Harry was in possession of her wand- he had told her so during one of his visits, as sparse as she forced them to be. She couldn't summon a blanket. Sure that Glinda, who was sleeping peacefully in a chair and drooling somewhat, could feel the breeze as well, Elphaba decided to get a blanket herself. She skimmed the Hospital Wing and found a pile of bed linens across the room. Stabilizing herself with the bedside table, she held on until the dizziness of rising passed.

As she let go, sharp stings shot up from her toes to her brain, activating a voice in Elphaba's head. It said that this was a stupid idea, but she ignored all of it. She wasn't completely useless and was more than capable of performing this small task, at least in her mind. Slowly, on shaking legs, she attempted her descent across the room.

The vertigo was immediate, coming in a tidal of disorder and helplessness. Her legs gave way and she tried to grab something, anything, to break the fall. However, she could only feel herself grabbing desperately at the air. Elphaba collapsed on the cold floor in a pile of tangled limbs, literally hissing from the pain of various wounds inside and out. Her vision was spinning like a wheel, and when she grabbed hold of something to hoist her body up, she accidentally pulled a small table from under it's legs. A loud clang echoed through the empty floor, fallen contents bouncing away as if in protest against the green witch. She swore bitterly at the night.

Glinda shot up at the noise, her head still screwed up from slumber. On instinct, she checked Elphaba's bed, which was empty, instilling dread in the blonde. Her heartbeat sped up at the thought of sleeping through something horrible happening to Elphaba. She rubbed her eyes out of habit and looked at the source of the noise, finding the missing patient on the ground, which was littered with the fallen bedside table and the articles it once housed.

"Elphie?" Glinda gasped as she hurried to her knees to accommodate the fallen woman. "Are you alright?" She rushed to bring Elphaba to her feet and on the bed again.

"I'm fine," Elphaba grumbled, a dark shade of her unripe colour settling on her cheeks and thoroughly embarrassed that she still couldn't walk a few steps without support after so many days.

Glinda didn't push Elphaba, but rather, kept a hand at her back. "What in the name of Oz were you doing?"

"A blanket," Elphaba said, detached. "I was getting one. For you, or for me, I can't remember."

"Why didn't you wake me? You could have re-injured yourself, you know," admonished the blonde. She walked over to the linins and grabbed the blanket Elphaba was talking about. "I would have gotten it for you."

"You were sleeping," Elphaba protested feebly. "What was the use in waking you?"

"Don't be silly, Elphie," Glinda said. Their voices were hushed, as though others were in the room, or someone was eavesdropping. "My heart practically jumped out of my throat when I saw you on the ground. Do you know how scared I was?" Elphaba stayed quiet and turned. "You don't have to be strong all the time," Glinda whispered, placing a hand on Elphaba's shoulder and letting it drag across her arm to the mattress.

"But I do," protested Elphaba stubbornly. She felt like she being torn down the middle. "I-I can't…" She trailed off, biting her lips to ward off tears.

"Not anymore," Glinda reached out and turned Elphaba's face toward her. She mustered a calm smile. "I'll be the strong one now, Elphaba. I'll be strong for you, for once. It's what we do when we're in love."

The words and the gesture was all the incentive Elphaba required. The gestures and the words that were absent throughout her childhood persisted to be foreign as an adult. The tearing was complete and the green witch let out a sob, letting out what she had been hiding in the shrouded Hospital Wing. Glinda pulled her into a hug, offering a shoulder and speechlessly comforting the woman. Words weren't necessary, but the physicality was.

It lasted only a few moments, and then Elphaba pulled away. "Sorry," she said absently.

"Sorry?" reiterated Glinda, brows raised. "You've nothing to be sorry for, Elphie. It's healthy for you to act this way."

"Maybe for other people, but not for me," Elphaba said with conviction, wiping away old tears.

"No!" the blonde scolded in a quiet voice. "Listen to me, Elphaba Thropp. What just happened was completely normal, but you'll want me to forget it. Even if you feel weak right now, you aren't. If you were weak, then I'd say this entire reality is off balance. For Lurline's sake, Elphie, you were captured for two weeks. It should hurt. You're not supposed to be strong right now, but you most definitely aren't _weak_."

The walls erected to veil the true state of Elphaba's being was demolished in that moment, carefully set aside brick by brick. It gave Glinda an opportunity to see the face behind it, which was worn from the war, defeated by her own body, terrified of the impending, and angry from the fight. The blonde suppressed a sigh and drew Elphaba in for another hug, who accepted it without warming into it. Glinda planted kisses on the top of her head and planned to move southward on the green witch's face.

"You may think that you're weak, but you are not," she repeated. "You're the strongest woman that I know, and I love you, Elphie."

* * *

That night opened doors for Elphaba's recovery. The mind was the control box to the entire being, and when Elphaba's was set at ease, her wounds began to heal cleanly, swiftly, and without infection. She still shooed off Glinda, who flitted about her day and night, but with prompting, was honest about herself and what was happening in her heart. Madame Pomphrey was pleased at the ceased complaints during checkups, and the green witch proved to be livelier.

Some afternoons later, Elphaba was thinking nostalgically of the Hogwarts Grounds, and how she wanted to trod on them and ruin the grasses again when she realized something. Her back stiffened and her head shot up, giving Glinda an a look of bewilderment.

"What? Elphie, what is it?" Glinda felt eyes on her and met the glare from her girlfriend.

"It's just that…I just remembered something. It's strange, really." Elphaba frowned, trying to make sense of it through the fog of memory.

"Strange? What's that?" Glinda asked curiously, uncertain whether this was a trick or another moment of truth.

"I can't decipher that, exactly," the green witch spoke slowly, searching for the correct words to express herself. "Something about the Death Eaters that I noticed, in the Riddle House. It might be nothing, but… I think I should tell Albus."

"If you even think about getting out of that bed, Thropp, I'll reinforce your diagnosis." Madame Pomphrey swept out of her office like a ghost, eavesdropping on the conversation for one reason or another.

"Oh, Madame Pomphrey, that's such a nice thing to say!" Glinda stood from her chair, and Elphaba was about to order her down again, but the blonde had different intentions. "I'll go and fetch Albus for you."

"Thanks," Elphaba called after her, but Glinda had retreated from the Wing so fast that Elphaba thought maybe Glinda couldn't stand it there. She sat in bed and waited for the blonde to arrive back with Dumbledore, and hopefully, her intuition would be correct. Hopefully, she carried an imperative clue to unlocking the key to this war. Hopefully, she was just as powerful bedridden as she was on her feet.

**Coming up: Voldemort's new weapon unveiled.**

**I'm going to Ashland on Friday…don't expect any updates until June 23****rd**** at least…assuming that I get the rest of chapter 26 finished by then, that is…**

**-Wolfie**


	26. I Don't Need Anything But You

**The title for chapter twenty-five is from…See What I Wanna See. Congrats to Yank2324, mcducko1, and Firstlady1408. **

**Yay! I'm back from Ashland! My friend (not Mara) actually told me to stop writing this story, or at least take a break from it. What do you think of that? **

_Chapter 26: I Don't Need Anything But You_

Elphaba looked up in surprise to not only find Glinda and Dumbledore sweeping into the Hospital Wing, whimsical robes behind him, but also Harry and Snape. "What are you two doing here?" she asked bluntly, although maybe a little more harshly than intended. "I only asked after Albus."

"You really know how to make a man self-conscious." Harry grinned with vibrancy stemmed from relief. "Glad to see you're as straightforward as ever, Fae; it means you're getting better. It's just that Snape and I were in a meeting with Dumbledore and decided to tag along. Maybe we could help."

As expected, Madame Pomphrey walked up to them, putting on a sour expression. "Fifteen minutes, Thropp," she said, as though predicting the time of Elphaba's death, before turning to leave. Elphaba rolled her eyes and didn't try to conceal it. She appreciated the work Madame Pomphrey committed to her progress, but such strict rules and regulations was something Elphaba would never familiarize with.

"If you insist, Poppy, of course, of course," Dumbledore assured, his eyes twinkling, but he winked at the green witch as he spoke. The nurse stalked back into her office to allow the Order member privacy.

"Now, what did you see?" Snape was impatient, antsy as always, a strategy of attack forming and reflecting off his eyes.

Elphaba frowned, remembering how to phrase her observations. She mumbled to herself while waiting for the Headmaster, but it was hard to separate the nonsensical from the suspicious. "It's strange, really. It doesn't truly… make sense. I could be imagining things and relaying it to you for fun."

"No disclaimers, Fae," Harry interrupted, leaning on the bedside table. "You're an intuitive person; whatever you saw will help us eventually."

"Alright," Elphaba began slowly. "Well, you know when I was being – when I was in the Riddle House?" She received nods of encouragement. "There was a day when Malfoy was… trying to extract information from me."

Elphaba bit her lip and cursed inwardly. There was a lump forming in her throat that threatened tears, frustrating her that she couldn't detail without growing upset. She felt Glinda subtly slip a pale hand into her grassy one for comfort, though she doubted anyone noticed.

"Go on, Elphie," urged the blonde. She had lost the maternal tone she possessed when they were alone, probably so she wouldn't mock Elphaba in front of the Order. It unnerved Glinda to listen to stories of the Riddle House, but she wouldn't leave Elphaba alone for her own sake.

"I wasn't talking, no matter what Malfoy or the Death Eaters around him said or did. Their frustration made me feel so triumphant… Anyway, that day, Voldemort was in an especially fowl mood. Something about a foiled attack on a Muggle town. Is it true?"

"Ah yes. That was us," Dumbledore reminisced, almost fondly. "Fiyero told us a rumor buzzing about Knockturn – my apologies, Fae. Please continue."

"Voldemort came in and asked Malfoy if he had been able to…to break me yet." Elphaba wanted to laugh at the thought of Voldemort's undeveloped, repulsive face. "Obviously, Malfoy had to report that he and the other Death Eaters were fruitless in their efforts. And this is where the strange part occurs. I'm uncertain as to if I even saw it correctly- I was pretty out of it. But I think if I-"

"Fae!" Snape pursed his lips, whacking the bed in exasperation. "Just tell us what you saw. It can't be so strange, considering the Dark Lord's past methods and battle strategies. We're talking about an evil, overgrown fetus. Just tell us."

Elphaba herself grew exasperated with Snape's impatience. She wanted to kick him, or at least whack him, but her current state proved unfitting for such. "Fine," she huffed. "Previously, I hadn't seen Voldemort cast the Cruciatus Curse on his followers, although, as you know, he normally dishes it out like candy. But that day, Voldemort, like I said, was already angry at the failed attack, so he cast the Cruciatus on Malfoy, and when he was hit…you're going to think I'm crazy."

"We won't," Harry reassured Elphaba. "Is it really that weird?"

"Has there ever been a form of the Cruciatus curse that affects not only the victim, but the people around the victim?" Elphaba shot back.

There was an awkward silence, one where everyone but Elphaba squirmed in discomfort. "_What_?" Dumbledore's forehead crinkled. "What exactly happened?"

"When Malfoy was struck by the curse, the Death Eaters in the room also reacted to the curse, clutching and twitching with pain. Serious pain. It looked as though they were also hit with the curse, but a weaker version. It was just…odd to see. That's all," Elphaba finished. There was another silence. "I know I could have been hallucinating. For the most part, I felt like I was in a stupor-"

"You saw correctly, Fae," Dumbledore held a hand out to quiet her, "because I have heard of such a thing before."

"Before?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "You mean that every time Voldemort casts the Cruciatus, all the Death Eaters feel the pain?"

"No, not Voldemort. But there have been some extreme people before him that conducted what it seems Voldemort has done to his followers." The Headmaster was speaking cryptically, slowly, as if wanting them to understand without saying it flat out.

"Albus, what the bloody hell are you talking about?" snapped Snape, grasping the end of the bed as though it were his sanity. "We've no time for games! Just tell us what you're on about now!"

"_Vitam Mortem_: a literal translation of _life and death_. It's an old spell." Dumbledore began hesitantly.

"And what does it do?" Elphaba asked, a familiar sense of dread settling in her stomach.

"Basically, it binds every single Death Eater's life force to Tom himself," Dumbledore sighed, "and their souls belong to him. That would explain the burst of increased Death Eater strength. If only I'd figured it out before."

"I don't understand." Harry stood on the balls of his feet, confused from just how fast the conversation was moving. "So, are you saying the Death Eaters are receiving power from Voldemort?"

"And from each other," the Headmaster clarified, "directly. Because they are all bound to the same life force, every Death Eater can also indulge in his colleagues' power as well. Voldemort also becomes much stronger by using his followers' power. It is a spell with a dark nature, and hideous results, risky as it is. If a Death Eater is incapacitated, the group as a whole is inconvenienced with weakening. But their strength in numbers is more than likely to make up for that one lad, so it doesn't help us much."

"How can we neutralize the spell?" Elphaba wanted to stand, but she sat up with more strength.

"You can't." Dumbledore stroked his beard with a type of dejection. "Tom was right this time. He found a weapon we can't defeat. There's never been a spell to counteract _Vitam Mortem_, unless…"

"Unless what? You know there's something," Elphaba prodded.

"Voldemort is using his own life force as an anchor for his followers. If his is destroyed, then I predict-"

"Every other Death Eater will be destroyed as well!" Harry's eyes lit up with a fire, realizing the loophole. This war had been waging before he was born, intensified after, and flung him into the center of it. He wanted it over with.

However, Snape shook his head. "It's a fool's errand. Are you daft, Potter? How would you be able to kill Voldemort with all that power at his disposal? It's a vicious circle- we need to kill the Dark Lord to destroy the Death Eaters, which is feeding his power and making it damn near impossible to kill him."

"And that's where the Grimmerie can come in," Elphaba interjected, feeling Glinda squeeze her hand, probably with excitement. "There are some long-range spells in there that can be used without coming directly in contact with Voldemort."

"Have you found any?" Dumbledore asked, intrigue in his tone.

Elphaba hesitated and glanced at Glinda nimbly; she was going to be pulverized by the blonde for mentioning it. "Well, there is one," she said slowly. "It's a two-person spell: one person to cast it and the other to stabilize the caster. Supposedly, it will suck all the dark energy out of the object of the spell-"

"That should work, then," Snape said. "Why are you so hesitant about it? You and Potter could do it."

Harry spoke up. "The reason that Fae and I are nervous about this spell is because of the consequences…the dark energy that is sucked out needs to go somewhere, right?" When Dumbledore and Snape nodded, Harry said, "In the case of this spell, the energy rebounds on the casters. Depending on how much energy hits them and how concentrated that energy is, one or both casters could potentially be killed."

"No," Glinda snapped, as if on cue, with no tone in her voice. "No way, Elphie. I refuse to let you sacrifice yourself like that, or you, Harry. There has to be some other way. The Grimmerie is a fraudulent thing, like it's alive. You know that."

"There isn't anything else, Glinda," Elphaba replied solemnly. "Harry and I studied the book. That was our last option, and we have to take it. Besides, the chances of death are…only potential. This is the perfect plan. We're not holding back because you don't feel comfortable."

"Elphie, you don't understand-" Glinda protested, taking her hand away from Elphaba's the moment the Grimmerie was mentioned.

"No, I do," Elphaba reassured, reclaiming the blonde's hand. "This war is tiring out generations. We have to dispose of Voldemort by any means necessary. There will always be risks, and if this is the only way… well, so be it."

Looking at the unfaltering determination of Elphaba's face told Glinda that there would be no reconsidering. Stories unraveled in her mind, reminding that Elphaba was stubborn as a horse, and her experience at the Riddle House would only strengthen her resolve to abolish Voldemort's plight. Glinda stayed quiet and decided one, sure thing: they were just going to have to make the most of what precious, little time remaining.

* * *

Time was standing still, as far as Elphaba was concerned. It wasn't as though Glinda's love towards her hadn't crashed down doors before, welcoming her into an acceptance she didn't recognize as an eschewed, inconsolable child. Fiyero, too, provided that freedom of existence, but Elphaba felt she existed a different way with the blonde.

The picturesque afternoon lit the blonde's face brighter than necessary and her eyes gleamed crystalline, making it difficult to gaze at directly when the sun glinted from her pupils. Glinda bounced around the grounds, pulling Elphaba by the wrist onto the grass. The green witch didn't want to contrast against the expanse of the land, but fortunately, the grass tinted a slightly dying shade- in the stages from deceased to thriving, when blades weren't sharp but they weren't exactly crisp either.

The opportunity of the weather was too tempting for them to ignore, so Glinda whined until Elphaba put down the Grimmerie and followed her out of the building. Elphaba had found the strength to walk on her own long ago, but she discovered Glinda liked to play with the thought that Elphaba still needed her. She leaned against the blonde occasionally, proud of the hand snaking up her back.

There was a novelty to Glinda's assertiveness, a mature spin-off to her stubbornness. When Elphaba felt like her insides were crumbling, lying in a Hospital Wing darkened by gloom, Glinda transformed her vivacious demeanor into one of an undivided buttress. She cast aside all else, taking full maternal control and urging the green witch to speak.

Perhaps it was the change of state they both took on- their roles reversed. Perhaps there were books out in the world that could explain the knots in Elphaba's chest and how Glinda's miniature frame could be habitat to a valor that her former lover would never measure up to.

The blonde was moving too fast for the green witch, feet dragging out of time from the careless musical number made by the hands playfully tugging her lifeless wrist.

"Where do you want to go?" Glinda enquired, but Elphaba barely heard through her contemplation. She refrained from saying anything romantic, but kept the thoughts tucked away for later.

"Anywhere, really."

Taking advantage of Elphaba's ambiguity, the blonde dragged her off to the shore of the lake, which was tranquil in the lack of afternoon breeze. "Oh, Glinda, you know I don't like-"

"You'll be fine," Glinda assured. "Sometimes I want to see what it would be like to go swimming in there."

"You realize that it's infested with really creepy marine life?" Elphaba smirked when Glinda face fell.

"Like what?" she asked.

"For one thing, there's a giant squid. I haven't seen it myself, but I'm sure it's lurking somewhere," Glinda paled, "and when Harry went to school here, Hogwarts held a competition underwater; he told me about a fair few mermaids and water nymphs."

"Oh! Mermaids!" Glinda lit up at the news, peering over into the water. If Elphaba didn't catch her wrist, she would have fallen face-first into the shallow water. "I've always wanted to see mermaids. My mother used to tell me such stories! She used to say we were descended from them, what with the Upland love of water and the," she struck a pose, "striking good looks."

"Uplands like water?" Elphaba looked upon the blonde skeptically. "You never mentioned that."

"Well, um, surprise! I like to swim."

"Lovely," Elphaba wasn't about to leave the subject alone, "but I don't think mermaids are as nice as in the fairytales. Harry says that they kidnapped Hermione and Ronald and were indecorous about the entire ordeal."

Glinda waved it off, breaking apart their contact and recreating it by holding Elphaba's hand. "Enough about Harry and Hermione and all these people," she purred. "Enough about mermaids and manners. Elphaba, you smell nice."

"The last time you commented on my scent, we were both at Shiz, and it might have been related to cabbage. How time flies..." The green witch bore her teeth into a pleasant smile. "I don't remember you being so frank."

"What can I say? It's been a while." Glinda pulled the taller woman in for a kiss, which was brief and lacking passion.

"Not by the lake." Elphaba ordered firmly.

"Why not by the lake?"

"Because I like privacy, and you do, too. There's plenty of time for that _later_," she emphasized. Glinda pouted, but didn't argue. Instead, she sat down on the grass by the shore with her skirts sprawled out to cover her legs. The childlike animation made her no less of a woman, and Elphaba sat down beside her, bringing her legs to her chest.

"That's just it, Elphie," Glinda said quietly. "I'm afraid there won't be plenty of time for us."

"You're not still worried about that spell, are you?"

"You say 'Grimmerie', and I think about everything that happened in Oz. It was terrifying for me, and I wasn't even in the middle of what you were."

Elphaba sighed, placing her hand lightly on a leg buried beneath the melodically colored skirts. "Of course I was terrified. That's why I faked my dea- ran away. But this spell, Glinda, it's different. The entire war is riding on the strategies the Order draws. It's a set decision, and I'm not just sacrificing myself. It's the entire Order, and all of England that depends on it."

Glinda knew that the green witch was being logical, but she couldn't suppress the urge to disagree. It was only a few weeks ago that Elphaba was stolen away from her, and only about a year that they'd reunited. The impending indicated a very gruesome end to their relationship, and she wanted to be selfish about their affairs. She frowned, watching the lake waters as they made meager waves, courtesy of whatever dwelled beneath. The skies were alive with shades of blue, but the weather grew hotter by the minute.

"I just wish that there was something easier or at least didn't involve the Grimmerie." The blonde swayed slightly, Elphaba nodding in agreement.

"That would be nice, but there isn't a way to approach this lightly. It puts an ironic spin on the whole magic theory: life isn't any easier with it than it was without it."

Glinda smiled, leaning onto the green witch. "But you've had magic in you all your life, so it's not so surprising that you're stuck in the middle of this."

"And therefore it is surprising that _you_ are," Elphaba smiled meanly, but then frowned at Glinda's smug face. "Wait, are you calling me obstinate?"

"Are you calling me _easy_?" Glinda fumbled a bit, rearranging her legs beneath herself to reach Elphaba's mouth. "Okay, so I'm really, really easy."

"I've a hunch it might be the food in England." Elphaba leveled her gaze and spoke soberly.

"I blame the women," Glinda giggled, and they kissed again. Without warning, the blonde reached out into the lake and swiped the surface, flinging water at the green woman. It was a feeble attempt, as the water failed to catch Elphaba, but did a number on her shoes and soaked through the laces. The green witch put on a sour expression and jumped from where she sat.

"You may like water, Miss Upland, but I don't!" she announced, forming a plan in a mind as sharp as her nose. Glinda stood slowly, attempting an innocent smile, though it was edged with smugness.

"Mermaids, Elphie." The blonde advanced toward Elphaba menacingly. She was about as intimidating as a baby rabbit, but splashed water again in the direction of her girlfriend. "They're coming to get you!"

"If you're descended from them, how about a reunion?" asked the green woman, nonchalantly kicking out Glinda legs from underneath and pushing the blonde into shallow water. Elphaba held her by the hand, though, so as not to let Glinda fall completely in. "Well, would you look at that? It looks as though your dress is turning into a fin, and if you weren't so damn gorgeous, I'd experiment with what would happen to your hair in lake water. I hear mermaids aren't so pretty."

Glinda laughed and poked at her soaking skirts. They clung to her shape like flesh in some areas, and hung in others, resembling a Greek statue in wet-drapery. She shook her head, mourning the loss of the expensive, stylish attire, but at the same time forgetting the past few weeks as though nothing could break them.

"Since I've blended so well, I think it's time you met the family!" she yelled, dragging the green witch into the water with her, who was caught off guard and fell to her knees. Glinda pulled the weight of a surprised Elphaba upwards, deliberately placing her hand on virtually amorphous hips. "I've got you now, Miss Thropp."

Elphaba sloshed her feet around the water, dismayed at the way her skirts fell limp and soggy. She gave Glinda an earnest look and placed her green fingers over where Glinda's rested.

"Now that we're both unfit to wander into public, we'll simply have to change." Elphaba leaned in. "You know, before I charm my way into your relatives' love."

"Would that require going back up to your room?" Glinda asked, moving in closer and planting a kiss on Elphaba's cheek, letting her face linger near the former's.

"Yes, it would, but we might as well get rid of these clothes before going back in the building," she received a doubtful look, "so as not to ruin the carpet."

"Elphie, Hogwarts doesn't have any carpets." Glinda smiled sweetly.

Elphaba cupped her lover's face in her hands, admiring the color contrast and the steady, gentle gaze. "I forgot," she replied simply, and kissed the blonde deeply before pushing her down in the water.

Glinda gasped, and pulled at Elphaba's legs, who locked them firmly to remain standing. They continued to run about the shallow water, splashing and wading back onto land. Elphaba taunted about the giant squid, and Glinda swore to avenge her ruined clothing. Being that the weather was so pleasant, it wasn't unusual for passers bys to stare blankly at the scene, students gaping and running away or giggling at the sight, bashfully canceling their picnic plans of eating near the lake.

It was paradoxical how Elphaba was fooling around covered in the substance that would supposedly bring about the death of her. She didn't like to think back to that moment, where she had to break away from Glinda's grasp and emit screams that troubled even her own dreams. Instead, the green witch liked to dwell on moments such as this, where the impending was abandoned and the little time she and Glinda had left together expanded into an eternity of good thoughts.

They began to tire out, their constantly shifting game of cat and mouse slowing to feeble staggering and lingering kisses. It was going to take a while to clean up the sopping state of their clothes, but Elphaba was feeling as though she owned all of England. The memories of the Wizard's treachery and of the Riddle House were thrown wholly from her memory. There weren't any barking demands and questionings or cruel heckling and mocking laughter, no remembrance of the stinging curses and the sensations of ribs cracking under the pressure of boots. None of it existed.

Elphaba knew a freedom greater than any heights that a broomstick could take her, and it came in the form of sodden, blonde curls and devoted glances cast by cerulean eyes.

**Coming up: The ever impending war commeth ever closer.**

**I'll try to update before I go to Yellowstone on Tuesday...although...there_ is _a cliffhanger at the end of chapter 27. Because I won't be updating in Yellowstone for a little over a week (at least), do you want the chapter with the cliffy before I leave?**

**-Wolfie**


	27. I Dreamed A Dream

**The title for chapter twenty-six is from…Annie. Congrats to Dark-Angel-874, Firstlady1408, Yank2324, Easterly Winds, and maureen is me.**

**As requested by…well…everyone…here is the chapter before I go to Yellowstone. Enjoy! 'Tis a slightly happier chapter, in preparation for the angst to come. **

_Chapter 27: I Dreamed a Dream_

"Alright," Elphaba placed the Grimmerie on the table separating herself from Harry. "Look." She pointed with a bony finger. "This is the spell. It's broken up clearly into two sections."

"Which part am I supposed to read?" Harry pulled the antique book onto his lap and squinted at the ancient text through his spectacles.

"This part." Elphaba scrolled her finger down the right column of handwriting. "Your part is to provide the center energies behind the spell. I'm going to ground you and then control and direct the power, supplying additional power should it be required."

The Dueling classroom was well lit with the drapery pulled back, where Elphaba and Harry were hiding out to discuss their strategy against Voldemort. They'd spent a considerable amount of time, crumpled parchments and other books littering the desk and floor surrounding them.

Harry shot a doubtful look in Elphaba's direction, who returned it with a glare. "Are you positive you'll be alright doing this? I mean, has Pomphrey even approved you of complete treatment?"

Elphaba scowled, as though chewing something sour. Everyone was so intent on her well-being as of late, if not more so than when she was bedridden. There didn't seem to be room for privacy between Glinda's persistent queries before breakfast, her students in class, Dumbledore moseying over to her during lunch, Fiyero badgering her in the afternoon, Pomphrey prodding at her in the evening, and Glinda smothering her again before bed.

The majority of her wounds were completely healed, and her ribs would only rattle discomfortingly once or twice a day. She predicted that to be a permanent upset and accepted it as another incentive to end the war.

"I am fine, Harry. Everyone asks and I tell them all day long, so please do me a favor and hush about it." The green witch sighed in exasperation and rubbed her forehead.

"Just to make sure, Fae, I'm checking with Pomphrey later," Harry decided aloud, announcing it as though nothing Elphaba could mention would deter him. "We need to know for sure how well you'll be able to fair during the spell, if you can do it at all."

"If you're going to check with _her_, we might as well cancel any strategies that involve me," Elphaba groaned. She was refraining from a shower of insults, angry that Harry would question her abilities. She was a human being, but the green witch was also a powerful one, and she felt more than capable of pronouncing a few terms correctly. "There is no way she would allow us to perform a life threatening spell. She'd kill us before she let us kill ourselves."

"Touché," Harry said, drumming his fingers along the brittle bindings of the Grimmerie. "Then I won't tell her the implications of the spell so much as the pressure exerted upon her favorite patient."

Elphaba gave Harry a sudden, sizing look, inhaling sharply as though internally deciding something. "You won't be discouraged from this, will you?" Harry shook his head earnestly, and Elphaba bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a curse from spilling out. "Harry, I am twenty-six years old and capable of looking after myself. I've spent all that time trying to ensure that."

"Of _course_ you are." Harry rolled his eyes snidely. "That would explain the obscene amounts of time that you spend in the Hospital Wing. You know, you've pretty much beaten my record by a few admissions. Perhaps they should set up a permanent bed for you there, when you're feeling like expressing just how self-sufficient you are."

Elphaba elbowed Harry in the side without an expression, crossing her legs and whacking the ancient book roughly. "Back to work!" she hissed through gritted teeth, which resulted in a nasty look from the Boy-Who-lived.

"Okay, okay," Harry muttered as he rubbed his side and adjusted his spectacles to get a better look at the pages before him. "You wicked witch."

He didn't notice Elphaba flinch at the title. It was a completely innocent jest, but the green woman began to hear an echo of ignorant, enraged witch hunters screaming for her blood. She was a more than a little unnerved to feel hurt by at after all, but shook it off to focus on their task once more.

"Should we practice this?" Harry asked, indicating the spell.

"Not together," Elphaba warned. "I know by experience that a full-blown practice could have negative results. Try your part little by little."

"Good point," Harry nodded. He took a deep breath and grasped the edges of the book like it kept his torso intact with his legs. "Elaka atum atey-"

"Atay," Elphaba corrected patiently.

"Fine. Atay nahmen aaka-"

Elphaba interrupted again. "Start over from the beginning, Harry. We can't have mispronouncing a spell from the middle, can we? You'll learn tolerance through exercise." She watched Harry's face with a slight smirk, happy to counteract his blow at her independence.

Harry stuck out his tongue childishly at the green witch. "You sound like a teacher," he whined. "I thought I was finished with them, but I had to go and get landed back in this place with you."

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter," Elphaba chastised in a stern tone, but her eyes twinkled, "for disrespecting a Hogwart's teacher."

"You do realize you've just taken points off your own house, right?" Harry raised an eyebrow, grinning.

Elphaba shrugged indifferently. "I never cared for the point system, anyhow. I know the entire house would be cursing my name by now, but it just breeds unnecessary competition between houses that couldn't possibly be healthy to form friendships. I find detentions much more efficient in the task of discipline: a student can win their points back, but not their free time."

"Alright. Detention with Filch, Miss Thropp," Harry grinned, the Grimmerie jumping under his jerking legs, "for trying to take points off someone who doesn't even go here anymore. You'll be cleaning the dungeons with your bare hands, no magic, just because you're mean."

"Mr. Potter," Elphaba tried to keep a straight face, and triumphing, save for the twitching edges of her lips, "are you challenging my authority as a bona fide professor in this educational establishment?"

"Perhaps," Harry said nonchalantly, looking up at her with unblemished innocence.

"I think this constitutes another duel," the green witch suggested with a knowing eyebrow raised.

Harry laughed mockingly, exaggerating his guffaws like a silent movie villain. "Aren't you embarrassed enough, Professor, or don't you remember the outcome of our first meeting at the dueling club?"

Elphaba opened her mouth to retort snidely when the clock chimed twelve, indicating that lunch was soon to commence. She sighed, taking the book back from the wizard and closing it lightly. "Since we've achieved virtually nothing today, I suggest we meet again tomorrow for a fruitful progression."

"And whose fault was _that_?" Harry crossed him arms. "Fine." He stood from his chair and made to leave the Dueling classroom, and then turned around to meet Elphaba, who hadn't moved an inch. "Are you coming?"

"Later," Elphaba mumbled, concentrating on something else. She pointed at the book. "I wanted to look through this a little more first." Harry made a point of groaning loudly and Elphaba looked up at him impatiently. "What?"

"You're skipping another meal, Fae, it's unacceptable. It's as though you want to drop dead in the middle of the spell, or at least before we go to war," Harry snapped, waving her over. "Come here, you've plenty time to look through it later. Now."

"I will come, just not now. Hush, will you?" Elphaba hissed, annoyed. Harry tapped his foot expectantly, and Elphaba shot him a glare. "Look, if I don't join you in fifteen minutes, you can report me to Pomphrey. Satisfied?"

"No," Harry huffed under his breath. "Sufficiently," he said sardonically, this time louder. "You have fifteen minutes before I expect to see you in the Great Hall, Fae. _Without_ that book- or any book, for that matter- in your hand."

"You really do act like a clingy older brother, Harry. It's unattractive on you." Elphaba shook her head, but smiled to herself from inside an open book.

"Well then, as part of my older brother responsibilities- hey! Wait a minute! Fae, I'm younger than you, aren't I?" Harry asked, wanting to intrude on her last precious fifteen minutes of solitude.

"By about a year or less, I'd calculate, but no matter," confirmed the green witch. "You sure do _act_ like one." As Harry opened his mouth to say something, Elphaba held up a hand. "Just go to lunch, Harry. I'll be there."

"See that you do," Harry warned, turning on his heels and walking away. He trotted down a few levels before bumping into Glinda, who was walking in his general direction.

"Oh, hello Glinda." Harry smiled, forming a plan to knock some sense into the green witch.

"Hey! Where's Elphie, I thought she'd be with you?" Glinda asked pleasantly.

"She was," Harry shrugged. "She stayed behind, though, to look at the Grimmerie. In her classroom."

"And she's not going to lunch _again_?" Glinda groaned, and plastered on a contagious smile. "I'll take care of it. I'll kidnap her, if need be."

Harry laughed. "Good luck with that, Glinda. I think you'll need it."

Glinda stormed into the classroom and paused in front of Elphaba, who didn't bother to look up from her work.

"Harry," the green witch said rhythmically, in annoyance, "I told you fifteen minutes, didn't I? Stop acting like a child."

Glinda put her hands on her hips and struck a pose. "Excuse me?" She tested warningly, and her voice startled Elphaba. "What did you call me?"

Upon hearing Glinda's voice, Elphaba finally looked up from the spell book. "Oh, Glinda, I'm sorry," she apologized automatically. "I thought you were – well, never mind. What are you doing here anyway? I'd expect you to be at lunch by now."

"I should be." Glinda narrowed her eyes to inspect Elphaba closely. "More importantly, though, what are _you_ doing here, Elphie? You should be at lunch as well, unless you've adopted old habits once more."

"It is habitual for me to – wait, Harry put you up to this, didn't he?" Realization dawned upon her and Elphaba reminded herself to kick the man for budding into personal affairs. Without waiting for a reply, which stood as clear as the blonde in front of her anyhow, she growled, "I told him I'd be down soon. Does no one trust me anymore? Ever since I've been back, it's as though everyone's reverted to baby talk. I'm not a child, dammit!"

"Elphie," Glinda tried, her voice quiet. Elphaba stood during her diatribe and began to pace, obviously thinking of other things intermingled with her frustrations, mumbling to herself angrily. "Elphie." The green witch didn't register a thing. "Elphaba Thropp!"

"_What_?" Elphaba yelled suddenly, turning to Glinda with livid eyes. They softened immediately when she realized what was happening and swept over to embrace the blonde. "Oh Merlin," Elphaba muttered contritely. "I'm sorry, Glinda. I didn't mean to yell at you, but lately things are tightening and everything is just so… high strung. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

The sympathetic expression on Elphaba's face, laced with apology, was unfitting for the green witch, and Glinda touched her cheek and laughed despite herself. "Elphie, do I look angry to you? You needn't apologize; I can feel it in the air, too. Everyone is on edge, especially you, and you're worrying about it too much. You've been working way past your limits, and Voldemort hasn't even so much as showed his face-"

"Exactly." Elphaba ran her fingers through her black hair tiredly. "Ever since my rescue, Voldemort has been uncharacteristically quiet, and considering the way we left, he should be looking for way of revenge. Harry and I have already voiced suspicions of a final battle with the Order, and they agree. The only trouble is _when_ and _where_ it's going to be, and waiting in ignorance makes nothing simple. I just wish we could get this over wi-"

Through her explanation, Elphaba was beginning to rile up, more excited with each sentence, building frustration. Glinda knew that Elphaba wouldn't cease her anxiety, but thought it best to rearrange her concentrate ion on something other than the war. She smiled lightly and placed a hand over Elphaba's mouth before she could finish.

"Elphie, stop. You're working yourself into a panic attack, thinking about painful things like that. Calm down, take a breath, close your eyes or something."

The green witch smiled, which faded like a fleeting streak of lightning. "But-"

"_Calm down_!" Glinda shouted austerely. Elphaba inhaled, beckoning Glinda to continue with her silence. "Look, the final battle is in inevitable, yes?" Elphaba nodded. "Right. Then it's not going to go away. The only thing you can do is prepare accordingly, not overwork and stress yourself out with possibilities. I know it's hard to let go of whatever you're feeling, but there isn't much else you can do besides be ready. And you certainly won't be ready, Elphie, when your nerves are shot. So please, just relax."

Elphaba smiled slightly, gazing up at the blonde bashfully. "Thanks, Glinda… you know I can't help but worry. What would I do without your sensibility?"

"Panic? Go crazy. Hospital Wing maybe," Glinda offered. "Seriously, though, Elphie, I'm here for you. If you want to talk or… or if you need something like this." She leaned in and pressed her lips to green ones, kissing Elphaba lightly, who deepened it into an enthusiastic finish when they broke apart. Glinda looked at Elphaba adoringly, studying the worried expression as it began to die away. They kissed again, and when Glinda showed no signs of letting go, Elphaba discreetly reached for her wand and locked the classroom door.

Needless to say, neither made it to lunch.

* * *

Elphaba's eyes flew open as there came a loud knock at her portrait door. She fumbled for her wand on the bedside table, whacking other belongings to the ground as she went. "Tempus," she muttered, sleep heavy in her voice. It was 3:10 AM.

"Elphie?" Glinda murmured sleepily next to her, eyes still closed. She was grasping her pillow tightly, almost in a fetal position. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Nothing, Glinda," Elphaba swiftly slipped on her Order robes and boots. "Go back to sleep." The blonde nodded and began to make light snoring sounds again.

Had Voldemort decided to attack at this time of night? Was the final battle to take place in their sleeping robes? By this time, the knocking had turned to a consistent thudding. Elphaba rushed to the portrait, not wanting to wake Glinda but anxious to see what was happening. Hermione was on the other side, a wild look in her eyes, but her hair and clothes were neat as though she hadn't yet slept.

"What is it?" Elphaba asked, gathering up her robes slightly to step out. "Are you alright? Has there been an attack?"

"No," Hermione answered soberly, motioning down the hall. "But you should come. It's about Harry."

The bushy haired witch didn't wait for a response, taking off down the without making sure that Elphaba was following her. Gingerly, the green witch did, growing nervous as they approached the Hospital Wing, hypothesizing that The-Boy-Who-lived was attacked, immobilized, or crippled from their battle strategy.

The moon lit the Hospital Wing naturally, shining through the giant windows and casting shadows around the beds. As they entered, Hermione finally turned to the green witch. "You'll see. He's in here."

"What the hell?" Elphaba muttered to herself.

Here were sounds of groaning and agonized screams. They were loud, but seemed restrained as though too many people would hear. As she approached, she saw Harry lying in a bed, in the middle of a room in the back, near Madame Pomphrey's office. He was twitching spastically, writhing into the covers like a victim of the Cruciatus Curse. He clawed at his scar, with glowed an eerie, unlikely red, slowly leaking blood. It ran down his face thickly, like viscous ketchup.

"What happened?" Elphaba demanded, bracing her hands in preparation to help, although she'd no idea how to soothe him.

"Thropp! Thank Merlin you're here." Pomphrey came around the bed and promptly shoved towels into her arms. "Take these and press them to his scar to stem the bleeding. The other members are being informed, and Snape has gone to retrieve some compatible potions. Judging from the nature of Potter's vision, he's going to tell us something we wished we hadn't heard."

Elphaba pressed a towel to Harry's scar, holding him down slightly to lessen the jerking motions of his spasms. "What do you mean exactly, visions?"

Pomphrey clucked her tongue in sympathy. "You don't know about Potter's visions, do you, Thropp? His scar connects him to You-Know-Who, so he can see the Dark Lord's whereabouts and plans at a painful price, also tied to the curses cast by the Dark Lord in the vision. Potter's been able to shield his mind from such monstrosities since he was in school, but Albus recently asked him to re-open his mind to get a head start against… well."

"So this happens every time he gets a vision?" demanded Elphaba, slightly disturbed by the fact Dumbledore would ask Harry to experience this kind of agony just to plan against Voldemort. Blood began to modestly seep through the towel and onto her hands, so she pressed another to strengthen to the pressure on Harry's face.

"Not every time, Thropp, only when visions get cross. Poor boy, I can't imagine what he sees. Not even when you were captured was it this intense, so I predict You-Know-Who is especially angry."

Snape swept through the doorway with an armful of potions, and Pomphrey waved him over. "Oh good, oh good, you've brought them all."

"Yes, the necessary potions," snapped the potions master, grumpy at being woken up at three in the morning. He held out a red vial, which Pomphrey accepted. "Here's the Anti-Cruciatus. The blue ones are Pepper-Ups, and the orange ones are just in case. Do you need anything else?"

"No, I don't think so. Thank you." Pomphrey sighed and cast a glance at Harry, whose thrashing were no longer frantic and screams dieing out, eyelids twitching as though he would soon wake.

"Harry?" Elphaba peered down at the Boy-Who-Lived, whose eyes fluttered open lazily. "Are you alright?"

"Fae," acknowledged the wizard, rubbing his eyes and lightly prodding at his scar, wincing in response. Elphaba's swatted his hands away. He smiled. "It seems out positions have reversed now, haven't they?"

"Indeed," Elphaba muttered, slowing down the blood flow on Harry forehead. She waited for him to calm. "What did you see?"

Harry closed his eyes slowly, reopening them and rubbing away the sleep. He gave Elphaba a grim stare. "It's as we've feared, Fae. Voldemort is planning a full-scale attack this week, on Hogwarts. This is it. It's the final battle."

* * *

The next day, the entire school was altered to prepare for the battle. Multitudes of owls were sent out to parents, informing them of the train evacuating their children and advising them to stay indoors. Aurors arrived in groups to patrol the school, sometimes still bothering to disguise themselves. The Order met frequently every day, while Elphaba and Harry decoded the final concerns of the spell. Loads of supplies were imported to the Hospital Wing and the kitchen. Pomphrey insisted Glinda spend twice as much time in the Hospital Wing to learn more extensive, intensive healing techniques.

It was decided the Great Hall be converted into a larger Hospital Wing to accommodate the estimated wound and death rate. Glinda and Pomphrey oversaw the preparations, while the other members of the Order would be defending the castle. The strategy was to give Elphaba and Harry room to perform their spell uninterrupted. The looming pessimism was as though people expected to lose the battle, and people were distracting themselves by perfecting their stations.

The night before the battle, Elphaba quietly slipped out of the Order meeting. She walked through the grounds, past the courtyard, past Hagrid's Hut, down to the lake. The sky was grey and scattered with stars, the night cleared by the moonlight cast upon the lake. The waters twinkled slightly, reflecting the stars and moonlight, but it didn't stifle Elphaba Thropp's terror of the next day. She was scared out of her mind at the thought, and hugged herself gingerly, as though she were dangerous to herself.

Figuring no one noticed Elphaba leave, Glinda quietly followed suit. The green witch had begun to close off her feelings again since Harry's vision, avoiding all the blonde's questions and advances. The only transparent aspect of Elphaba was her body language, and Glinda could read it just as well as the Boy-Who-Lived. The detached room Elphaba put between herself and other people, the arms up to cover herself, seemingly unsure of whether to pace or sway, and settling for a method between the two all indicated that the green witch was frightened. Glinda was afraid as well, and didn't want Elphaba to think that she was alone. Glinda was frightened of losing her again.

"Elphie?" she called softly, though no one could hear them this far from the entrance. Elphaba looked up at her and rushed to embrace the blonde, who melted into the contact. The clung to one another under the stars, remembering the foolishness of their activities by the lake before contrasting with the dire need of courage, musing on how inconsistent life could be. "Elphie, you'll be fine. We'll both be alright and we'll be together again."

"I'm not worried about myself." Elphaba said, letting go of the blonde. "Glinda, I was watching the Order tonight and all the people talking at the meeting. Everyone is excited, in a sense, and so lively. I can't help but think…how many of them will be gone tomorrow? The death toll is expected to be gargantuan. Who is going to be left? Or will there be no one left?"

Glinda felt a terrible ache rise in her stomach and put a hand on Elphaba's shoulder. "I don't know, Elphie. But... you can take care of yourself. Despite it all, you'll come out of this as strong as you've always been. I've no doubts about it, so please, just don't prove me wrong."

Elphaba paused and Glinda could see her silhouette as it danced clearly against the moon. She admired it, never considering it before. The green woman nodded. "Glinda," she began, maybe a bit too forcefully, "I want you to know that whatever happens here tomorrow, you get out safely. You can't go and die, all right? I-I love you so much. I don't know how to express this, but-"

"Oh," Glinda whispered, reaching out to hold Elphaba's hand sweetly. She couldn't help but feel defeated, as though this was the last minute of the time they cultivated, never to see one another again, but Glinda abolished the thought. She smiled, holding back tears as best she could. "I know. And I love you, too, my brave, stubborn, beautiful Elphie. Lurline knows how much you've taught me, and there is no way I could forget that."

They kissed for the last time before the battle, a desperate race of lips, as though they had to appreciate one another through that one moment. Clouds as grey as the sky, illuminated slightly into a ghostly glow, moved to stifle the moonlight, darkening the sky and the lake water. They kissed in darkness because it didn't matter who could or couldn't see them.

The following morning, Elphaba was up at first light to pace the Entrance Hall. At a few minute intervals, she would check the newly decorated Great Hall's windows to recognize any approaching hoards of Death Eaters. She resumed her pacing, breathing deeply so as not to hyperventilate.

Soon, the rest of sixty or more Order members arrived, silence covering the entire hall, save for the clicking on their shoes on marble. Loud enough to jump a man out of his skin, the colossal clock chimed seven in the morning, and eight an hour later. Elphaba cast awkward glances at Glinda, who was readying the room silently, though it was already prepared for use.

They collected without words and waited patiently, their insides screaming for alleviation. It was at eight that Dumbledore climbed down the stairs to meet his Order. Only three words were necessary for them to be hurdled into their fates. "They have arrived."

**Coming up: The grim realities of war…AKA a death or two. **

**So…I'll be gone from tomorrow till next Wednesday. But I already have the next chapter written, so you'll get an update on Thursday or Friday. How's that?**

**-Wolfie**


	28. The Impossible Dream

**The title for chapter twenty-seven is from…Les Mix. Congrats to maureen is me, Easterly Winds, X-Kate-X, RECblue8, and Yank2324.**

**This is it. The final battle. We're on the final stretch- Only five more chapters left! (Including this one.)**

_Chapter 28: The Impossible Dream_

This was it. This was the moment multiple generations had been anticipating yet dreading for years. Wizards and witches of every adult age group were gathered in the medical deck that was once an entrance hall, gravitating towards the one concentrated area and leaving the rest of the castle's innards lacking human life.

"How many has You-Know-Who brought?" shouted an Order member from the large crowd.

Dumbledore surveyed his soldiers grimly, his seriousness sobering to any jovial being. "I am not one to lie. It is a discouraging number. In addition to an estimate of one hundred Death Eaters, Voldemort has called upon the aid of Dementors, giants, and various spare creatures." The meek uproar was unsettling, with most of the soldiers dwelling on their own thoughts instead of voicing them.

"However," the old Headmaster's voice rose into the familiar volume required of speech making, "thanks to Hagrid, we have with us several valuable allies as well. We have the cunning of the Centaurs, the speed of the Hippogriffs, and the danger of a few dragons. Hope, my friends, is far from lost."

Outside of the castle, Elphaba could hear the approaching opposition. The rhythmic sound of boots marching into earth in unison sent a flutter of terror through the miniscule number of Light Fighters, in comparison to the number of Voldemort's army. Elphaba felt herself tense up, but forced her limbs to settle, finding goose pimples riddling her flesh. The Headmaster continued.

"Is there last-minute business that needs attention?" he asked, as though it were a usual start of a school semester. When no one made to speak up, he nodded. "Severus, I want you to be watching over Fae and Harry during their spell instead of the position discussed earlier; it's too valuable a strategy for them to be unprotected. They are not, by any means, to be interrupted while casting the spell from the Grimmerie."

"Alright, Albus," Snape replied, looking sour and mentally preparing himself for the, literally, walking battle.

"Fiyero, you'll be scouting on the back of a Hippogriff: I need you to patrol the grounds by means of the skies," Dumbledore ordered, turning to the darkened Winkie. "Use your Order necklace to contact me, and should I not reply for any reason, you're to send your messages to Harry. And if you wish to strike from the skies, for goodness sake, be discreet about it."

"Yes sir." Fiyero nodded, his hand itching to salute now that he stood erect, a habitual tradition of the Ozian Guard. This was a fitting opportunity to use his Gale Force training in a positive manner.

"Harry." Dumbledore searched the front of the crowd for the Boy-Who-Lived, who stepped out from the throng. "If I am in any way incapacitated during this battle, you are the new leader of the Order of the Phoenix. Are you prepared to accept this?"

"No, Dumbledore-" Harry looked disgruntled at the thought, but a hand was raised against him.

"Do you understand?" Dumbledore repeated over Harry's protests.

"I do, sir," Harry said, swallowing his tongue. Now was not the time for foolish protesting. "I understand the implications and responsibility of the position and if you are unable to continue, I will uphold it in dignity, pride, and mourning."

"Good." Dumbledore looked as though he would smile at how proper Harry became, but turned to the rest of the Light Fighters, his voice rising to a regal, thunderous degree. "The rest of you, listen to me. Yes, Voldemort may have a vast number of soldiers. Yes, Voldemort may be stronger. But that equals nothing in the face of our good intent. We are fighting for the freedom of the Wizarding World, for the safety of your children's children, and for human moral!

"Banned together as we are, we can defeat the lot of them by our efforts. It will not be easy, but we will be fruitful. We will be fortified. We will be triumphant. When the odds seem meek, remember all we are fighting for. Remember all that has happened to us, friends. We are fighting for a brighter future, one without the lingering fear of Death Eaters and killing curses, and in that intent, we have already won!"

With the parting words of wisdom, he stepped over to the huge double-doors separating the two armies. Everything was silent but the almost deafening sound of marching. He paused. "Good luck." And then, without any warning but the feeling in their hearts, the doors were thrown open.

With a shocking uproar, the Order members charged forward toward their impending doom, faster than Elphaba anticipated, but she didn't falter. Instead, she locked eyes with Harry, who was staring at hr expectantly, unmoving. "Together," she mouthed. They had planned to stay at each other's side, in view of Voldemort, to cast the spell, thus ending the war. However, even the most logistical or practiced strategies can be broken by one misdemeanor.

A large boulder came at her like a comet falling into the atmosphere as Elphaba made her way toward Harry, forcing her to dive aside to avoid the hit. She crawled to safety, dodging unearthly large boots, scanning for Harry all the while. She called for him, but her call was lost amid the chaos that unfolded so quickly, one would call it stage choreography.

All around her swelled the sights and sounds of war: the two armies colliding immediately, curses flying in mesmerizing colors, guttural cries and shrieks of anger growing louder, and the grasses once pranced upon reduced to muck at the uncontrollable stomping. It was too loud to hear, so there was no use in yelling. It was too dangerous to search to the center of it all. Not even the most courageous of men would brave the uncontainable, unruly flying curses and blades, Hippogriffs swooping to pluck Death Eaters off their feet, Dementors creeping along the length of dragons, and the slopping of blood as it flew in all directions. Not if they weren't already in it.

There wasn't any time to find Harry anyhow, as Elphaba quickly turned to throw up a shield when she felt a curse being cast at her back. The curses were being exchanged so rapidly, it was dizzying to keep track.

Ron, in the heat of battle, caught a glance of the green witch dueling with both Avery and Goyle, who looked to be suffering under her skill. At first he was baffled as to how quickly she'd recovered, or survived at all, but it passed like the thud of the dead Auror the redhead threw a curse at. Then, he felt angered, having specifically told the two Death Eaters that Thropp was his to finish- his kill- having been humiliated enough by her to earn the right. The day was young and the opportunity to send Thropp off to hell was especially ripe.

"Avery! Goyle!" he bellowed. "Move!" He pointed his wand at Elphaba. "_Renac Mortis_!"

Elphaba didn't recognize the curse, but from the sound of its dialect, it wasn't going to be pleasant. She had no room to dodge it, seeing that she was cornered by Avery and Goyle, so she fumbled to put up a shield. It was approaching too rapidly, giving her no time to prepare a shield. She decided to crash sideways into Avery's gut when something intercepted the curse, absorbing it for her. Elphaba's eyes widened to discover it had been Dumbledore, who staggered from side to side.

"No! Albus!" Elphaba emitted a scream, a real scream of fear, as Avery attempted to compensate for Ron's failed attempt. A bottled up rage surfaced in Elphaba, and she raised her wand to utter every potentially fatal curse she knew at the two Death Eaters, who were quickly disposed of. Looking almost madly around for Ron, she found that he had disappeared into the swarm of despair just as much as Harry had.

With the free time, Elphaba turned to the Headmaster, having to half-carry, half-drag him to a deserted cluster of trees away from the battle. "Albus?" Elphaba gasped at the tremendous amount of blood soaking through the old man's robes, her own voice sounding diluted under the battle. "Albus, hold on. I'll get you to Pomphrey, or St. Mungoes, or something!"

"No." Dumbledore held up a weary hand, stopping her. "It's no use, Fae. Do you recognize the curse Ronald used?" Elphaba shook her head no and busied herself with moving the Headmaster into a comfortable position. "_Renac Mortis_ was recently discovered by the Ministry and is being taken into consideration in addition as another Unforgivable Curse. It is very similar to the Killing Curse, yes, but it was designed to painfully slow down the process. And like it's brother, _Avada Kedevra_, it cannot be blocked." Dumbledore paused to cough wetly, bringing blood to pass his lips.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Elphaba asked, her eyes filling with tears at the creeping sensation of uselessness.

"No," Dumbledore lied for her sake, acting it out well. He was a dignified man and didn't wish to send Elphaba into hysterics. "Fae, listen to me-"

"Why, Albus?" Elphaba choked out. "Why would you do that for me? I'm just Elphaba Thropp, Thropp Third Descending from Oz. I'm not even from your damn _world_; I'm not worth your life."

"But that is where you're wrong." Dumbledore granted her a smile, gripping her hand firmly to ignore the aching throb growing in his chest. "You are needed in this battle, Fae…Elphaba." She looked up, startled, realizing that Dumbledore never used her birth name. "Elphaba, you and Harry have an obligation to defeat Voldemort, and if you were killed, all hope would be lost. We cannot afford to keep drowning in the fear of a magically endowed, semi-invalid monster of a Wizard. _I_ can't read the Grimmerie, but you can."

"I'm sorry, Albus." Elphaba tried not to let her voice waver. "I should have been more careful. I should have been watching out for other Death Eaters. I should have-"

"Elphaba, do not blame yourself for this. In fact, I want to thank you for everything you have done for England, especially Hogwarts, in the past few years, and allowing me the privilege of being at your side." The Headmaster's breaths turned to slow wheezing now, his years showing greatly from his facial features.

"How could I do anything else, Albus?" Elphaba smiled through tears she couldn't blink back, knowledgeable that she was about to watch a man die. "After everything _you've_ done for _me_. After the way you accepted me."

"Fae, a last request. You and Fiyero have been running from your past ever since you came here. If I am correct, only I know your real motivations for leaving Oz. You'll need to tell Harry and Severus: they deserve the truth. Haven't they earned it?"

"Albus-" Elphaba protested.

"Listen!" Dumbledore urged, pulling all his strength to speak. "If there's one thing I know well, it is that no one can run forever. No one is fast enough, or has the endurance to cheat their gaining past. Just take my advice and tell Harry and Severus so that when it catches up, they'll know what really happened to you and will be able to protect you, because I won't be able to."

"I-" Elphaba began, but before she could finish, Dumbledore's body gave a series of painful spasms, joining with the cracking of bones. "Albus!" Elphaba called, ignoring the amount of blood covering her robes, hands, and arms, crimson with freshness.

"Promise," gasped the Headmaster, more dead than alive. Elphaba didn't protest his request.

"Good." Dumbledore nodded. He fell silent, and after a few moments, there was no life left in him. His hand grew limp in hers, and he looked vulnerable and weak in his unresponsive state.

"Oh." Elphaba placed his hand down as gently as she could, wanting to avoid the dead flesh. It unnerved her to hold the hand of a corpse, but she was humbled. "Thank you for giving me another chance here," she said awkwardly.

"Well, it would seem the great Albus Dumbledore isn't as great as we all thought," Ron drawled, approaching lazily against the unfitting backdrop of war.

Elphaba felt her heart constrict with an almost effortless rage at Ron. She immediately found her stance and pointed her wand at the Death Eater. She was breathing heavily, huffing with a confusion of emotions. She didn't know how to react, be it grief of anger that won in the wreck of her emotional state.

"What are you going to do, Thropp?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "You don't have the guts to kill me."

At that moment, Elphaba wouldn't have felt more pleased to have the snooty Death eater begging for his life at her feet, writhing in agony as she had before him, or wheezing in pain as Dumbledore did. She wanted him to retain all the aguish and torture he conferred to others, the sound of what he might sound like screaming in pain mingled with the memory of how Elphaba had in the Riddle House. She steadily uttered two words she vowed _never_ to use. "_Avada Kedevra_!"

Not entirely surprised, Ron jerked backwards to avoid being hit, but stumbled at the malice Elphaba's voice radiated. Her eyes were dark with anger, and she was slightly shaking at the intensity of her own voice. Ron had yet to hear the green woman speak in such a tone. It eerily reminded him of the evil, vengeful witches in Muggle fairytale books his father used to read him, especially that one about a girl with a dog name Dodo. Those images used to give him nightmares as a child. He made the decision in a split second that he would require support to face Elphaba. Thus, he turned on his heels and ran to catch up with Malfoy.

Elphaba was still breathing hard as Ron disappeared in the direction of the bloodshed. She glanced at Dumbledore's body and chastised herself, shaken by her own strength. She tried to rub the old man's blood on her cloak, but it was drying and sticky. Her conscience was practically yelling: she carried intent to kill Ronald Weasley, another member of the human race. It was not last resort- it was revenge, and she felt shamed at the thought.

In wanting to kill him, she was no better than the Ozians who went on a witch-hunt for her blood: they were passionate with blood lust for no reason. Of course, Elphaba had her rationale to murder Ron, but that sounded like an incomplete statement. When was it rational to commit murder? It made her no better than Voldemort himself.

"No. No, no, no," she whispered harshly to herself. She wasn't a Wicked Witch; she contradicted everything Oz accused her of. She was nothing like Voldemort. Human beings always exaggerated their sentiments in thought. "I'm nothing like him." She tried to convince herself, trying to remember Glinda, but the blonde's face came up blurred in the ardent heat of the Killing Curse, still fresh on her lips.

Perhaps Morrible was right about Elphaba all along. Perhaps she deserved what she got.

Pushing away the thoughts for now, Elphaba heaved on Dumbledore's dead weight to hide his body. She didn't want the uproar to turn anymore passionate with the turn up of one leader's dead body, else it would signify defeat. She concealed it, and went to follow Ron, simultaneously hoping Harry was all right in the battle.

Ron was coming back to the spot Elphaba and Dumbledore resided before, this time with Malfoy behind him. Malfoy was bloodied, but the green witch was pretty sure it wasn't his own. She ducked behind a massive oak tree to eavesdrop.

"This had better be good, Weasley," Malfoy snapped, huffing in the force of speed walking.

"It will be," Ron promised. "Thropp is here alone with the old man's body. I finished him off pretty good, I did, and it's only a matter of minutes before the green freak goes, too. I want you here to see it."

Elphaba's lip curled up into a mix of a wry smile and a snarl. In reality, Ron wanted backup from Elphaba when he would be losing. Despite his Death Eater bulk, he was still a cowardly boy, but an unavoidable one at that. In all honesty, Elphaba hoped for this chance to duel Ron, especially after Dumbledore took the fall for her.

"You want to kill me, Weasley?" she yelled, stepping away from the tree in a fluid motion. "You'll have to catch me first. Trouble is, I never do get caught." She turned towards the immensity of the forest and transformed into her black panther form, feeling the satisfying ache of her human bones confining into that of a cat's. She darted into the Forbidden Forest, the two Death Eaters right behind her. She was careful to be discreet; it was too risky to draw more Death Eaters into the fight, which remained between Ron and Elphaba alone.

It was battle upon battle and only time would tell which victories would win the war.

* * *

Glinda looked up from tending to a new patient to find a group of Order members troop into the Hospital Wing. "Well?" she asked Harry anxiously, eyeing the state of the soldiers' dilapidated clothes and dreary faces. "Is it over?"

"Far from it, actually." Harry let out a weak sigh, trying to contain himself until one side won over the other. "We're basically at a stalemate right now; neither side is gaining much ground. Close amount of casualties. And with Dumbledore dead-"

"Dumbledore is dead?" Madame Pomphrey shrieked suddenly, joining Harry's side. "You're kidding Potter. What happened?"

Harry looked down and rubbed his eyes with one dirtied hand, concealing the tears that threatened to fall at the mentioning. "I'm sorry, Madame Pomphrey, but he really is dead. He fell from a curse earlier in the day. No one's located his body yet- there's a chance it's in possession of the other side. If it is, we _will _get it back."

"Well then, how could you know for sure that he's dead?" Glinda asked, hoping that the bleak optimism she'd been able to maintain since the first patient, and six causalities in bed, could still help her sanity.

"Dumbledore asked me to lead the Order if ever he should be incapacitated, which means we're bonded magically. If he falls, I have access to passwords, meeting places, the works, and now I have it. I have it all, and clever as it is, he's dead." Harry collapsed in the beside chair near a patient who was a bloodied, but otherwise fine.

"How many dead are there now?" Pomphrey asked softly.

"I don't know. I have absolutely no idea. Could be anywhere from ten to fifty. And it's not helping at all that Voldemort still hasn't been defeated."

"You and Fae haven't cast the spell yet, have you? Well, what are you waiting for?" Pomphrey's voice reverted to the stickler school nurse. "You want You-Know-Who to come and kill us all? You've been working on this with her for ages."

"No!" Harry snapped standing from the chair; opportunity for held back tears to jerk from his eyes, falling down his dirtied cheek. Harry clenched his jaw and lowered his voice from the bark it came out as. "We can't… not anymore."

Glinda's stomach clenched sickeningly when she realized what Harry was implying. She gradually became nauseated and dizzied, looking around desperately for the green witch, who was missing from the hoard of Order members.

"Well?" It was Glinda's turn to collapse in the chair, her voice warbled. "Is she, or isn't she?"

Harry cast a sorrowful look at the blonde, and turned to Fiyero, who joined them at the sight of Glinda's despair. The Boy-Who-Lived struggled to collect the kindest words to deliver the news, not wanting to accept it either. "Well, Glinda, it's like this…"

"Dammit, just say it! What happened to Elphaba?" Fiyero roared. He was in horrible condition, riddled with skin-deep scratches.

"The last time anyone saw her, she was facing two Death Eaters. Ron and Malfoy, I think." Harry spoke slowly, inhaling tears instead of crying. "They haven't come back; they disappeared into the Forbidden Forest. She's had bad experiences with both of them, I…well, I…"

"You're lying, you have to be lying." Glinda covered her mouth with both hands, trying to breath properly. She held back a shriek and shook. What happened to the promises they made the night before? "Not Elphie, oh Oz, not Elphaba."

"After we clean up this lot, we'll go into the Forest and find her body along with Dumbledore's. I'm sorry, Glinda. Fae… is… well, she's dead."

Glinda just kept shaking.

**Coming up: Despair and hope.**

**I have nothing to say after this angsty chapter…don't kill me for killing everyone! **

**-runs away from March of the **_**Wolf**_** Hunters- **

**-Wolfie**


	29. With a Little Bit of Luck

**The title for chapter twenty-eight is from…Man of La Mancha. Congrats to Yank2324, Miss Elphie, Easterly Winds, and maureen is me.**

**Four chapters to go! Thank GothPhantom for –hem-forcing-hem…I mean, asking nicely for me to post this one today instead of tomorrow.**

_Chapter 29: With a Little Bit of Luck_

The physical state was nothing in the face of what unbeatable connection Glinda and Elphaba had developed for themselves. It went without saying that time and dimensions were meek and unimportant when they were together. If Elphaba was dead, then Glinda didn't have ownership of her insides. Instead, they'd be dead along with the green woman. The implications of such were too hurtful to dwell on for more than a minute, and stigmatizing for at least another half hour. But this- this made Glinda want to die, too.

"Glinda?" Harry bent down to the blonde's level anxiously. "Say something." Beside them, Hermione laid a hand on the shoulder of a distraught Fiyero in sympathy. The rest of the Order was half-listening, miffed at the implications of two fallen major Order members. Elphaba's demise was salt thrown onto the wounds of Dumbledore's.

"What am I _supposed_ to say?" Glinda's words were about indecipherable as she held her hands to her mouth because she was wracked with tears. Her knees felt weak, like she might fall over, but she was already sitting and she was scared of what that exactly meant. "Elphie, Elphie, Elphie," she chanted like a mantra, breathing the name. The sarcasm, the incredulous looks, the cunning, the sweet words and even sweeter embraces. If Elphaba was gone, what was left for Glinda to find optimistic or safe?

"But we don't know for sure," Hermione blurted quickly. "There's no body yet-" Glinda choked on what could have been a sob, if she wasn't already tight-throated, "so there could be a small prospect that she's alive..."

"Always the foolish optimist, Granger," Snape groaned on cue, looking vaguely out of his skin with a dishelved expression. "Fae is – was – strong, yes, but not invincible. Wealsey and Malfoy are more powerful than we'd like to accept, and Fae is one person. The best we could hope for was something quick, but even that's hard to believe."

"Snape!" Harry whirled around. "You've a special talent in making people feel better, you know that?"

"It's the truth, Potter, and it's not accepting it that's kept either side from winning this war. It's time we start to recognize that." There was a slight twitching at his mouth: the only sign of grief on a cold face was most likely cool to the touch. "Fae's been lucky as a cat many times before, but that's an unreliable source. It's bound to run out, and it has."

"Stop!" Glinda gasped, bringing her hands up to her forehead more forcefully than intended. "Just… just stop talking, Snape!" There was a moment where silence befell the great hall, any moans of pain or whispers of anger absent throughout the air thin, in commiseration to the fallen Order members.

Madame Pomphrey gave a grunt, not willing to unveil herself in the midst of a battle, even if it was at a deadlock. "Now what, Potter?" she asked expectantly. Harry looked at her confusedly, intermingled in sadness and wear. She reiterated, "Now, what is your course of action? You can't cast that spell anymore-"

"I could," the dark haired man admitted. "The trouble is that energy would be scattered everywhere, without someone to ground me. If I try it alone, likelihood of success is meager."

"But it's worth a try, Potter. With Albus and Fae dead and no back up strategies or choices, we've no other option." Snape teetered on his heels. "I suppose I could use a normal Wizarding spell to keep you in order, but I don't know how effective it will be."

Harry mulled it over and nodded slowly. "We could try," he said solemnly. "It's better than nothing."

The doors, old and regal, burst open again with a ferocity claiming higher importance than a Light fighter scampering in and out. The idea that Death Eaters had come to invade from the inside, as unfairly and predictable a predicament, was terrifying. The weary Order members tensed in preparation for another battle, though weary from the first, falling to quiet reserve.

"Harry," Hermione fingered her wand nervously, voice dropping to a breathy whisper, "I thought we put up wards all over the Entrance Hall."

"We did," Harry confirmed just as quietly, wand drawn and ready, his tired eyes bugged and panicking despite his determined posture. "It keeps anyone with ill intentions towards the school and us out. The Death Eaters couldn't have broken them, could they?"

"Be quiet!" Snape whispered harshly, like a dog barking in its sleep: livid, but bound. "Do you _want_ them to find us in here?" Harry opened his mouth to retort, but fell quiet when Snape sent him a fierce glare.

In came Ron, red hair messed and face covered in dirt. He wore a rotten expression, half-horrified, stumbling along due to an unseen force from behind. "What the hell, Weasley?" Snape roared, voice echoing off the listening walls. "Ours is a plight to stop your murdering, not to take a mocking to Fae's death." He pointed his wand to shoot but halted at a voice too relieving to be overlooked.

"He's done nothing to me that hasn't been done before, right, Weasley?" A green-skinned woman appeared in the doorway behind her captive, wand pointed at his head from the back. She nudged him roughly and he flinched, causing blood that leaked steadily from her temple to jerk towards the ground. It was the only cut that appeared on her from the far angle, but it was nasty and rimmed with pink, swollen tissue. Nevertheless, Elphaba Thropp was alive and well with a smug smirk plastered on her face. "And what do you mean by my death?"

Glinda was the first to react, launching out of her chair. "Elphie!" She screamed, pulling the witch away as Snape and Kingsley took Ron into custody accordingly. "Oh, Lurline, Elphie!" she kept calling, pushing Elphaba into the seat she once occupied. The blonde desperately touched her hands to Elphaba's face, arms, chest, and hair, to approve of the tangible state that told her Elphaba wasn't a ghost or illusion. All the tension that developed inside her- the building, unbearable grief- evaporated.

"Hey now, what's wrong with you?" Elphaba asked, grabbing a nearby towel and pressing it to the wound on her forehead while lightly touching the blonde with her free hand. "Are you alright?"

Glinda could only make a gurgling noise in her throat, unable to speak for a moment at the sight of kind eyes. "I-I thought you were-"

"I was what? Dead? Why?" Elphaba frowned. "I promised you before, didn't I?"

"I'm sorry, Fae," Harry deliberately avoided eye contact or even gazing upon the man who was once his best friend. "I sort of told her the worst. When you didn't come out of the Forbidden Forest, and with Dumbledore dead, I assumed-"

"When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me," Elphaba quipped, grinning despite their bleak atmosphere. The vastness of the Great Hall was gray with the aftermath, people wounded and shaken. What was once an endless magical sky was now a high ceiling of confinement, boxing in opportunity, but cradling prosperity.

"Ever the eloquent one, you are," Snape muttered, but his eyes radiated an appreciation of Elphaba's presence. The impatience and nastiness he possessed in the belief of the green witch's death was gone, replaced by a healthy, gruff demeanor.

"Oh Elphie, you're hurt." Glinda frantically inspected the wound on Elphaba's forehead, wrestling the towel from the green witch's hands and applying pressure on the cut herself.

"It's fine, I'm right as rain," Elphaba shrugged. "It's insignificant. One of the many side effects of being thrown into a tree, but I expect I'll survive."

"No survival jokes right now. I'm still trying to forget the last ten minutes." Glinda smiled, seeming to forget there was an entire world that existed outside of who sat on the chair. Suddenly, she started from realization and handed Elphaba the towel, turning towards the captured Death Eater like a slow, creeping fire.

"It was you," the blonde began in a shriek, her voice reaching a dangerous, raspy low. She was ready to immerse Ron in a display of pain. "You were the one who hurt her. She's done nothing to you!" It came out in an uncharacteristic growl, sounding nothing like her usual, sunny self.

Ron cast a mocking look of malice at the blonde. "She exists," he explained, as though it were the simplest, most logical of statements, "and I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Glinda couldn't help but house anger in her tiny frame, supporting it with might, nurturing the red she saw. It was bloody, and told her to lunge at Ron with long fingernails, despite the consequential aspect to that plan.

"Glinda, don't," Elphaba ordered forcefully, holding the blonde's shoulder in support, but mostly to hold her back. Glinda tried not to melt into the touch as she turned towards her girlfriend.

"What? But Elphie, after what he did to you-"

"I know. But he's not worth lowering yourself like that," Elphaba said as something flickered in her eyes, although it could have been a glint of light.

"You had your chance, Thropp," Ron spat, constrained with his hands tied behind him, "but you chickened out. Why didn't you kill me?"

Elphaba glared at the Death Eater. "Because I'm not like you, Weasley. I don't kill."

"What about that _Avada Kedevra_ you shot at me earlier?" Ron raised an eyebrow, becoming haughty when Elphaba didn't deny it, but rather, stayed silent. "You see? You hypocritical bitch!"

Glinda strode forward calmly, but her face emanated hate. She kneed Ron where it would hurt most. He doubled over in pain while being held up by an Order member. "That was for insulting Elphie!" She proceeded to let out a growl and kick the side of his head, effectively knocking him out, and he hung limply from his restrains. "And that was for hurting her."

"Elphie?" Are you alright?" Glinda turned to look at the green witch, but Elphaba just shrugged. She was grappling with herself over the Unforgivable curse she cast earlier, and was barely listening.

"Fae?" Hermione stepped beside Elphaba quietly. "What happened, exactly? In the forest, I mean."

-Flashback-

_Elphaba skidded to a halt when she reached a dark clearing several yards from where she entered the Forbidden Forest. It was roofed with tree branches, spindles of light shining through to illuminate the ground with odd specs. She heard the frantic yelling of Ron and Malfoy catching up, so she scrambled up the nearest tree, transformed back into human form, and dusted herself off. She crouched on a low branch to eavesdrop and promised herself to overlook any logistical thought that didn't involve duel tactics. _

_"Well?" Malfoy snapped impatiently, snarling. "Where is she?" _

_"Somewhere not far," Ron growled in a primal manner, peering into the distance of trees and rock. "And when we get her, I'm going to kill her slowly and painfully." His mouth matched the evil grin in his eyes as he moved shrubbery and branches. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, Thropp. You can run, but you can't hide forever." _

_Elphaba fumbled for her wand and shot a Stunning spell at Malfoy, who was standing and watching Ron with his hands on his hips. The blonde Death Eater was promptly knocked out and crumpled to the ground. The green witch dropped from the tree, cloak billowing around her, ignoring the pain shooting up from the soles of her feet when her body weight landed. Ron was startled, alarmed that his back-up was taken out so efficiently and effortlessly. _

_"It looks as though it's down to you and me, Weasley." Elphaba grinned despite herself, approaching leisurely. "This is how your scores ought to be settled: fighting your own battle without having to call on the bigger boys." _

_Ron looked around for a time, either quarrelling or deciding something with himself. He finally took a step forward, staring Elphaba in the eye. "I, Ronald Billus Weasley, challenge Elphaba Thropp to a formal duel." _

_Elphaba didn't hesitate. "I, Elphaba Thropp, accept. What are your terms?" _

_"Wands only, all spells, to the death." _

_"Done," agreed the witch. She was conscious of the consequences to accepting a formal duel, and how it could mean her death and Ron's freedom. If she died, he wouldn't be persecuted for whatever illegal spell he used, not to mention the fact that the battle strategy Elphaba had developed with Harry would become obsolete. But she had to do this. _

_They began by facing each other and rushing through the formalities. Specs of light fell around them, disappearing and reappearing from rustling branches and wind. Ron didn't waste any time. "_Stupify_!" _

_Elphaba paid no attention to the Stunning Spell, deep within her own reveries and conscience. She returned the favor after ducking effectively, but remembered Harry's advice during their duel at the Dueling Club. She slowly decreased her spell output until she was hardly using her wand. She ducked, weaving out of curses and spells and jumping to and fro madly to exhaust her opposition. _

_Ron grew nervous when he sensed her strategy. He wanted to counter whatever she had planned, or prevent it entirely. However, he was unsure as to what Thropp was actually planning to do. He increased the frequency of his spells although he was tired to the point of staggering, throwing out anything from disarming spells to the dreaded '_Renac Mortis_'. _

_The redheaded Death Eater stumbled only once, catching his footing almost immediately and threw another spell. Elphaba realized her cue. She paused for a millisecond to prepare, but mistook her own strategy. She succumbed to a curse that blasted her into the air and sent her flying into a large, moss covered tree. She slid down the trunk, feeling warm liquid drip down her face and tasting it as it leaked into her mouth. She lay face down, spitting out the blood and listening to the vibrations Ron's footsteps made in the ground as he advanced towards her. As he threw up his wand to deliver the final blow, Elphaba struck. _

_With lightning speed and the agility of her animagus form, Elphaba pounced like a cougar and struck like a cobra. She rolled onto her feet and caught Ron by the wrists, surprising him enough to lose his wand. The green witch brought his hands behind his back, pulling his smallest finger back with a satisfying crunch. He yelped in pain, and Elphaba mused on how it was easier to resort to physical dueling rather than magical. With a flick of her wand, Ron was bound, but she kept it at his temple and brought them both to their feet. _

_"How easy it is when your opponent has the intelligence of a doornail. How the tables have turned." Elphaba smirked. Now was the time to avenge Dumbledore's death. The task was so simple, so tempting, and no one would blame her. No one would persecute her. _

_Elphaba hesitated, treading back over her thoughts. She didn't recognize herself in this angered state and wondered who she was becoming. To kill Ron was to disrespect Dumbledore's spirit, and the will of goodness for England he had sustained. She wouldn't let herself drown in revenge- she wouldn't go against her convictions for one stupid man, or else Ron would win. _

"_Please," Ron sputtered, truly frightened. He went from courageous to begging within seconds, his face scrunched as he awaited the worst. "Oh, please, don't kill me. You've won the battle. You've won!"_

_"Yes, and I gather that this is the trophy I get for my efforts." Elphaba wiped the blood from her face, her wand still concentrated on the Death Eater. "I'm taking you to the Order." She could dump him off on her fellow members so that they could deal with him. If Ron was Dumbledore's murderer, then he'd burrow a special place in all their heats._

_Elphaba marched Ron to the castle by way of the forest, careful to avoid other Death Eaters, who cultivated all about the grounds. She entered the Entrance Hall and opened the giant doors to the Great Hall as gently as possible. There were undecipherable voices blending on the other side, so she decided to thrust Ron in first before stalking in herself. _

-End flashback-

"That's pretty much all of it," concluded the green witch. Most of the Order was listening to her story and digesting it in silence.

"_He_ killed Dumbledore?" Harry finally asked weakly, his face distraught and distant at the thought. "Ron? Why?"

"He intended to kill me," Elphaba admitted, "but Dumbledore jumped in front of me. I was the target, but he took the curse for me."

"Why didn't he just put up a shield?" Hermione burst, tears running down her cheeks. It was Fiyero's turn to support her, his hand on her shoulder as she had for him. "What curse was it?"

"_Renac Mortis_," Elphaba replied simply, hoping she wouldn't have to explain. Snape let out a growl next to her, obviously aware of the curse.

"I'm not even going to wait for the Aurors!" Snape declared aloud. "I'm going to kill Weasley myself." He ambled forward, but Harry and Hermione rushed to keep him calm.

"What's '_Renac Mortis_'?" Hermione asked between gasps from Snape elbowing her in the stomach as she tried to hold him back from his target. "I've never heard of that before."

"It's fairly new," Harry began solemnly, managing to pull Snape away and sit him down. He started to explain as Elphaba turned away, not wanting to hear it all over again. Ingrained into her memory forever was the explanation from the man who struggled through that very curse to speak.

"Elphie." Glinda stepped forward to touch Elphaba lightly, hoping to be comforting. "Elphaba, look at me." The green witch sighed and faced the blonde.

"I'm alright." She smiled weakly. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Thank Lurline for that," Glinda sighed, pulling Elphaba in for another hug. "I truly though I'd lost you. Do you know how helpless I felt?"

"I don't want to know, Glinda." Elphaba shrugged in the embrace, and then pulled away. "It's been a rough day, hasn't it?" She grinned contagiously, though tiredly. "So, how were _you_ today?"

"Fine," Glinda nodded. "_I'm_ alive, aren't I?" she returned Elphaba's words, earning a smile.

"Glinda, this war isn't fair to you," Elphaba said, her forehead concentrated with wrinkles. "It shouldn't be your responsibility to help us. You're not from England."

"You seem to forget so easily, Elphie, that you're not from here, either," Glinda retorted coolly. "Besides, I wanted to help. If you're going through this, than I am as well."

Elphaba's life had been riddled with shortcomings and disappointment from family and authority. She had never found another person who could be devoted to her as she was to other charities, but Glinda was. The blonde was making so many sacrifices for her without being asked that Elphaba couldn't quite comprehend the sentiment.

Glinda peered at Elphaba carefully and hypothesized what wheels were turning in her head. She wanted to say, 'I love you', but refrained. "Come here, you." She held out her arms for an embrace and the green witch sank into it. Glinda smelt like bandages and hydrogen peroxide, but Elphaba inhaled her deeply.

"I will _always_ be by your side, Elphaba," Glinda whispered. "It'll take a hell of a lot more than witch hunters and magical wars to keep us apart."

"Fae." Harry grasped Elphaba's shoulder before she could untangle from the blonde. His eyes were suspiciously red-rimmed, as though he was trying desperately not to cry again. She looked at him sympathetically.

"Are you alright?" she asked with concern.

The Boy-Who-Lived didn't answer, but gave her a look of determination. He nodded, as though to convince himself. "Let's go. Now. Voldemort's long overstayed his welcome."

**Coming up: The spell from the Grimmerie is finally put to use.**

**Well, good thing that was all resolved, then. But now, there's still the matter of the spell…**

**-Wolfie**


	30. No More

**The title for chapter twenty-nine is from…My Fair Lady. Congrats to Easterly Winds, Yank2324, and Wickedgreenchild.**

**Three chapters to go! Hmm…might be four though. And some shameless...what do you call it...plugging? Take a look at my other story, See, I'm Smiling, which is an AU exploring what would have happened if Fiyero did not arrive in time to save Elphaba in the cornfield scene after Nessa's death.**

_Chapter 30: No More_

The once serene Hogwarts grounds looked more like a hell on earth to Elphaba as she promptly followed Harry out of the castle. Not only had the battle destroyed the organized campus, but also fires had been set everywhere. The sky was turning an ugly black from the smoke, and bodies of the mistreated or forgotten were strewn about. The sounds of fighting and dying came from agonized screams and enraged yells in all directions. Voldemort didn't attempt to hide; he was in the midst of it all, admiring his handiwork like a disturbed piece of art.

The other Order members filed out after them in an organized fashion, as though it were a funeral procession. Once Harry gave the signal, the original plan of distract, divide and conquer would take place so that he and Elphaba could finally destroy the Dark Lord.

With a subtle nod of approval from Elphaba, Harry threw up his wand and shot red sparks into the suffocated air, then charged to meet Voldemort face on. The Death Eaters broke out of their rituals to once again clash with the Light fighters, leaving Elphaba, Harry, and the Dark Lord in the middle of the field.

"Two against one? I thought you believed in fairness, Potter." Voldemort chuckled slightly, his abnormal nostrils quivering. "Ah, well. There's only one way to remedy that. _Avada Kedevra_!" Expecting the forthright approach, Elphaba jumped out of the line of fire, only to dodge a thread of other deadly, torturous curses that were eerily accurate.

"You'll have to work a bit harder than that, Tommy," Elphaba taunted, refraining from cackling at the mad…_thing_ in front of her. She then winced and clutched her side as a curse nicked by her hip, resulting in a wave of sickly numbing. _Note to self_, she thought, _no more baiting the evil monster_.

"What's the matter, Thropp?" Voldemort yelled in his coarse voice. "We had such grand times the last time we met. Don't you want to continue playing?" Elphaba clenched her fists and said nothing. "Well, I promise that after this foolishness is over with, Potter can watch us finish our little game." Voldemort was speaking as one would kindly propose an idea to a small child. "And, of course, to be fair, I'll even play with Potter. You need to be reminded of fairness."

Harry couldn't hold his words in any longer. "And what makes you so sure that you'll beat us?" he yelled over the roar of war.

"I have the advantages, Harry," Voldemort whispered, but every word was articulated and heard clearly. "If you surrender now, I won't torture your girlfriend here. I'll be merciful as any lord and finish her quickly, if you wish it. All I ask is for you to raise the lovely white flag. Don't you see? The bloodshed is unnecessary if I'm going to come out victorious anyway. Why must all your precious soldiers die?"

Harry, in an act of either courage or stupidity, took a giant step to stare down Voldemort, the determination in his eyes beating beady, unfeeling ones. "I'm not the little boy you fought in that graveyard ten years ago. Your threats are obsolete, Tom. And your weapons are useless against what I've in store."

Voldemort smiled gleefully, scrunching the grey flesh of his face. "We'll see, Potter, we'll see."

They were having a stare-off in a challenge of testosterone, so Elphaba rushed forward to pull Harry away lest he do something regretful or stifling to their plan. "What the hell, Fae?" Harry spat, trying to free himself from Elphaba's grasp. "Let go of me!"

"Running away, are we, Thropp?" Voldemort mocked loudly, laughing genuinely. "And we were just beginning! No matter. No matter how far you run, you've already been caught."

Elphaba roughly pulled Harry away, jerking both of them down to miss the flying curses. She contained his wand at his side, since Harry was so intent on dueling the Dark Lord. "Stop that," she snapped, annoyed at the man's stupidity. "It's as though you're looking for ways to ruin the plan. We have to be farther from Voldemort to cast the spell successfully. So stop struggling!"

Harry broke away gruffly and dusted himself off. Despite his angry exterior, he knew Elphaba was right. He had endured years of taunting from the murderer of his parents, and dueling, a feature Harry excelled at, would have been sweet retribution. "Right. Where do you suppose we go, then?" He sighed. "We're supposed stay where Voldemort is in sight, but there's hardly room to see out of this crowd."

"Over here." Elphaba pulled Harry his robes to the same clearing where Dumbledore had died, where the battle was less concentrated. She glances around for Snape, who was close to them, as the late Headmaster had instructed that morning. The Potions Master nodded, signaling that it was safe to begin.

"Now." Harry ordered, more rhetorically. He kept a steady gaze on Voldemort's hazy form, which was coming closer. "_Elaka atum atay_-"

Elphaba took a breath and joined in on her portion of the spell, their voices blending into one hum, escalating into a powerful chant. Before the spell could reach halfway, Voldemort seemed to realize something was amiss. He called nearby Death Eaters over to the sudden birth of foreign magic.

"Thropp and Potter are over there!" he roared, pointing toward the clearing like a maddened Commander. "Find them, hunt them and kill them! Destroy them! _Obliterate them!_" he screamed as the Death Eaters scrambled to obey him. Either it was the urgency of his voice or the sudden drain of their own energies that directed them to the importance of the command.

Elphaba looked up at Harry in panic, but the Boy-Who-Lived could only shrug helplessly in response, for they were already deep into the spell. A rush of Death Eaters reached the clearing, ignorant of the effects of an unfinished spell from the Grimmerie, the powers of which could bring about some kind of annihilation that even Voldemort couldn't control. Neither Order members could flee or fight, so they remained, chanting the spell like it was a prayer for mercy.

Snape, readied for combat, lept from hiding to defend the clearing and its occupants with vigor and ferocity. They were about two-fifths of the way now, and Elphaba stared at Harry, hoping to burn a message into his eyes, telling him to hurry.

Snape was far outnumbered by the Death Eaters, though he was familiar with their battle tactics. Elphaba felt a terrible do-or-die urge rise in her stomach. She was not ready to let another friend die at her expense. She was about to break off from the spell, damn the consequences, when the heaven-sent image of several more Order members jogged over to help. Hermione, Tonks, and Kinglsey broke away from the center battle, which shifted from the center of the field to the entrance of the clearing.

"Hurry up, you two!" Tonks yelled as she tripped over her own feet, still grim-faced, though her hair became pink, as though compensating for a blush.

The rising volume of the spell became diluted and Elphaba could not hear herself over the chaos merely a yard away, but the vibrations in her throat indicated that she was still going. Voldemort had stepped into the clearing, striking the green witch with fear, until she saw how exhausted he had became.

He looked older and weaker, his features exaggerated by the spell. There were purple bags beneath his eyes and lines appearing on his smooth, alien flesh. His face was contorted with rage as he raised his wand and pointed it at Elphaba. Their eyes connected and she read '_Renac Mortis_' in his lips. Diving out of nowhere to assist Elphaba and her inability to duck was a phoenix, regal in its flight, even as it took the curse.

Elphaba knew that Fawkes could not die, and she nodded with thanks in the knowledge that he would be reborn soon. It was symbolic to the Wizarding world, which would soon alter optimistically once the battle was won. To whomever won.

It looked as though luck was on their side as Voldemort was screaming in pain. Tangible, darkened energy was being sucked out of him like a straw with no liquid to transport. The masses of Death Eaters were becoming increasingly easier to fend off, slowing down with their master, proving the loophole triumphant.

Elphaba's breathing became heavy through the panic and the weight of the spell, and she spat out the last word so loudly she almost swore she could hear it. _Please,_ she pleaded to whatever gods were out there. _P__lease let this work_. Harry subconsciously grasped Elphaba's hand for support as they watched the scene unfold in front of them.

Voldemort staggered forward on untrustworthy legs, jumping violently as each stream of dark magic was extracted from his body. It formed in a growing mass behind him. Abandoning the safety net of magic, he lunged at an unsuspecting Elphaba, who was thrown onto the grass, her hand wrenched out of Harry's. Voldemort's long, cold fingers were wrapped around her throat like snakes, or rope, and she struggled as his thumbs pressed into the core of her larynx.

Elphaba gagged, flailing in attempts to fight back, her own fingers wrapped around his in attempt to pry him off. Harry was unable to assist her, the spell still incomplete for him. The green witch could feel her eyes bug and the sounds of battle around her begin to soften. Her brain was clawing for air, but her eyesight was dimming at Voldemort's surprising strength.

Suddenly, without warning or explanation, Voldemort let go of her. His grip didn't loosen gradually, but rather, he jumped back. Elphaba felt her head begin to spin and she couldn't get up, but she knew the worst was over. The spell was complete.

The scene was out of a nightmare: the cries of Death Eaters and Voldemort alike at different paces, until it became one moan in unison. Voldemort was collapsing, the energy leaving him not only devoid of power, but life. The Death Eaters, too, were wilting away, their shadows dancing against the ground like a macabre troupe. When Elphaba's eyes returned to clarity, she noticed that her own shadow was withering along with Harry's. It frightened her, but then she noted the shreds of light from the tidying sky breaking through the shrouding branches.

Like a display of fireworks, the dark energy on the field collided together above their heads, as though trying to band together. With one, inhuman, unearthly, despairing sound, the final rupture of life in Voldemort erupted from his body and joined the glowing energy.

With the final burst, the struggling energy dissipated, as did the Death Eaters, and finally, the reign of Tom Marvelo Riddle, over half a century of autocracy and desolating oppression, came to a miraculous, but quiet end.

Elphaba found her footing slowly. Ending the war seemed like a far off reverie in the face of six years devoted to bring it to reality. Whether the rest of the Wizarding world ever thought it would come to an end, if not in some other lifetime, she didn't know. In the first few seconds of freedom, no one said a world, as though time would reverse if the immaculacy of silence were broken.

Harry stood beside her in a similar shock. This war had spanned over the entirety of his life, and there was a growing, tired place inside of him that had been previously occupied by it. The threat of the prophecy was gone from over his head, and after twenty-five long years, before him laid the chance of a healthy, normal life. Whether he had the capacity to accept it was the only thing in question.

Elphaba realized, maybe too late, that danger was not defeated just yet. The looming mass of dark energy was quite literally staring them in the face and moving towards Harry like an asteroid. "Harry!" she screamed. "Watch out!"

It was rushing towards him too quickly, and Harry cast her a helpless glance, his hair swooping into his eyes. It was useless to run. It seemed that Voldemort had found a way to bring Harry down with him, just as he'd always promised.

"I'm sorry, Fae. Thanks for everything," Harry said meekly.

Elphaba shook her head. All of the lunch period missed and lectures endured were for this exact moment. She lunged forward onto Harry as Voldemort did to her, chanting furiously. It was the strongest shielding spell she could find in the Grimmerie, and the time she spent to perfect it would not be in vain.

"What the hell are you doing, Fae?" Harry yelled angrily, swatting at her, but she kept her grip. He attempted to throw her out of the line of energy, and she slipped, but only tightened her grip.

Elphaba's eyes were screwed shut by the time she finished, careful not to stumble over her words. White light came from her hands and formed a dragon-like thing around her and Harry, which became a spherical shield. She gritted her teeth and fell to her knees, chanting through her jaw to maintain the shield through the heavy onslaught of dark magic. It persistently knocked and pulled back, like knocking on a door, or plunging a knife into her gut.

Harry put a hand on Elphaba's shoulder and tried to keep her up while whipping out his own wand and cast another shielding spell. She gave him a grateful look at their spells intertwined and it lessened the burden of her concentration.

Everyone watched, not knowing how to react as Elphaba's shield absorbed the dark energy, swallowing it like a living being in gusts. The dark magic was breaking through the shield in minimal amounts, building and creating a clear path to where Harry was standing. Elphaba felt weaker but persisted, though the energy slammed into Harry like the front of a train going at full speed.

"Harry!" Elphaba screamed, leaping forward and catching his falling form. The familiar sting of failure, of struggling to commit a good deed and coming out flat, made Elphaba conscious of why she had vowed to never do so before. "Harry, wake up!"

She checked for his pulse with frantic fingers, which was strong and consistent. However, he was still in a deep sleep. The dark magic was no longer present, or at least, not longer visible. The Boy-Who-Lived-to-Defeat-Voldemort was officially in a coma, despite his victorious efforts, and there was no indication that he would wake.

* * *

**Good News! He's Dead!** _By Sylvan Thatcher_

_Three tense days have passed since You-Know-You was defeated a second time at the hands of Harry Potter and Elphaba Thropp. Only one question remained: Is You-Know-Who really dead, or is he merely biding his time as exercised before? This journalist takes you behind the scenes to talk with the Ministry workers handling the case. _

_"Based on all of the evidence we have collected and the examination of You-Know-Who's body by St. Mungoes, we have sufficient reason to believe that the Dark Lord has indeed been killed with no chance of return," says Auror David Buckleroot. It is indeed a time of celebration, which could last for weeks in major cities, that the wicked reign of You-Know-Who has finally ceased._

_However, this story is not over yet. Mr. Potter lies in a coma in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. The school nurse, Madame Pomphrey, has declined to comment about his conditions, and this reporter is unable to admit whether the Boy-Who-Lived-to-Defeat-Voldemort will be okay. Only time will be able to tell us if Mr. Potter will survive the enormous strain on his magic levels. _

_Elphaba Thropp, the Dueling Professor at Hogwarts, was also unavailable for comment about her role in the defeat of Voldemort. The only known information is that Miss Thropp used a spell from an ancient spell book- _

_See __**defeat**__ on page 2 for the entire story_

Elphaba sighed and set the newspaper on the table beside her. Other than the Hospital Wing, the entirety of Hogwarts was swarming with reporters and Aurors to keep them at bay. Madame Pomphrey went so far as to threaten anyone uninvited from entering the serenity of the Hospital Wing, where Harry currently slumbered, so the green witch figured it was the smartest place to camp out until the seemingly endless swarm of journalists, reporters, and celebrating Order members dissipated.

Madame Pomphrey said that the dark energy that hit Harry had drained him of his magic levels, which were bound tightly to a wizard's life force, and was echoing inside of him until it weakened into nothing. Harry was merely in a coma though; the shield Elphaba had cast saved his life, no matter how unresponsive he was at the current time.

The fireplace in Pomphrey's office exploded and roared fiercely, causing Elphaba's head to snap up to see Hermione, Snape, Fiyero, and McGonagall. "Fae," the old professor greeted, "there are important matters to discuss."

The green witch offered chairs to the other Order members, in tradition of a meeting, before taking a seat herself. "What about?" she asked tentatively.

"Several matters, such as whether or not you plan to renew your teaching license for the next semester." McGonagall's hat was similar to Elphaba's old pointed cap, and it flapped with age as she took a seat.

"My teaching- are you the new Headmistress now?" Elphaba stuttered as a jolt shot through her chest, an uncomfortable memory of Dumbledore's death replaying in her mind again. She would be dammed to forget it, but it was a plaguing thought to dwell on.

"Yes," McGonagall replied glumly, although it was simple mourning. "Albus and I came to an agreement on who would take over his position at Hogwarts if one were to find him… unable to accept his duties as Headmaster. And now that he has-"

"Enough, enough," Elphaba barked, maybe somewhat harshly. She gave the new headmistress an apologetic shrug, which McGonagall waved off politely. "I'll be teaching again next year, if you wish. It's not as though I'll have much else to do."

"And what about Glinda? Will she be working here in the Hospital Wing again?" Hermione asked, turning to McGonagall in reminder. "Because you'll need to draw up a contract for her as well if she is."

"No, I don't think so," Elphaba replied, quieted in remembrance that the blonde would return to Oz before long. Such news diluted any good tidings the green witch had towards Voldemort's demise: if Glinda was gone, it was like her heart was back in the Riddle House. "She's going back to Oz. There are duties she's neglected to attend to for an entire year, and she can't put it off."

"What do you mean, exactly, about duties?" Hermione asked. "Is she a Healer there as well?"

Her rushed promise to Dumbledore came back to Elphaba, and she reasoned that Snape and Hermione deserved some kind of truth. She cast Fiyero a helpless glance, and he returned it with unease.

"Well, Hermione, you see…it's like this." Fiyero was pausing and fumbling over his words, trying to concoct an acceptable explanation without being kicked by Elphaba or spinning a tale. He jammed his fists into his pockets and swallowed his wit. "Glinda's a, um, well, a highly respected political figure in Oz, and circumstance probably had her depart without much elucidation to the citizens. So there are probably loose ends and political…things that she needs to take care of."

Snape didn't take a seat, but rather, pilfered through Madame Pamphlet's cabinets in curiosity, his tone matching his activities. "Why don't you go back as well, Fae? You ought to have a family of sorts back in your homeland…not to mention homesickness. It happens to the living, on occasion."

"Do you mind, Snape?" McGonagall snapped, annoyed. "There is business before small talk to discuss, and I would rather get it over with rather than put it off until all the students rush back to school and suffocate us all. If you will excuse me, please, Fae."

"It's fine," Elphaba shrugged. If there was anything Elphaba could afford to do in the face of explaining why she and Fiyero had left Oz, it was that she could afford to wait.

"Now that You-Know-Who has been defeated," McGonagall began, "Fiyero, what are you going to do? You don't need to go out to collect information anymore-"

"On the contrary, Tiggular will have to reconnoiter again," Snape interrupted. "There still are Voldemort radicals and Death Eaters in hiding to wheedle out and tend to. Ones that weren't tied to the Dark Lord's life force, like _Weasley,_" He spat the name out like a curse word, "that might be stirring up trouble."

McGonagall nodded. "Good point, Severus," she acknowledge briskly, before turning to the boot-clad man. "I'll give you a day or so of a break before you head out, if you wouldn't mind? No doubt some time of trouble is congregating under all this… hubbub and celebration."

Fiyero nodded slowly. "Actually, I'd like to stay until I know for sure that Elphaba will be fine."

Elphaba whirled to glare at him. "Wait until _I'll_ be fine?" she repeated. "I'm not the one in a coma."

"You're still tensed up from the war; I've never seen anyone so distraught over success before. With the body count and Harry's condition, you'll be toiling for no reason. I'm going to wait until I'm certain you're alright," he said simply.

Elphaba opened her mouth to protest or to shoot him an insult on instinct, but stopped herself. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you," she finally said genuinely. "That means a lot to me."

"Perhaps it would be best to recollect later for a more formal meeting." McGonagall threw up her arms, annoyed at the attention span of the conference. "In my office, two hours from now should do. We all agree?" She received four nods. All were relieved to escape her for now.

"We should probably call the entire staff to a meeting, come to think of it," Hermione suggested.

"I would, Miss Granger, but the head count from the Aurors is still incomplete and I would rather not face the inevitable…disappointment of the results. I'm hoping our teachers have managed to dodge serious incapacitation or death," McGonagall admitted. "I will be given the information soon, but for now, we can only have faith. Two hours then?" The new headmistress trotted to the fireplace and Flooed to her own office, to avoid the bustling corridors.

Once she was certain they were alone, Elphaba turned to the others in the room. "There's something I need to tell you," she began gingerly, "about my past, and why I came here. You deserve to know-"

"Elphaba!" Fiyero hissed. "What are you-"

"Hush, would you?" Elphaba scowled. "This is hard enough as it is, without you breathing down my neck. Snape, Hermione, we've never told you before, but Fiyero and I had certifiable reason to come to England. It wasn't a vacation, or a random trip."

"We were eloping," Fiyero announced suddenly. Elphaba elbowed him raucously.

"No, we were not," Elphaba extenuated, glaring at the fellow Ozian.

"That much is believable," Snape drawled, but it was obvious he wanted to know the truth. "So, what were you going to say?"

"Back in Oz, I was-" Elphaba began, but was interrupted by the Hospital Wing door slamming open and the sounds of cameras and yelling reporters audible for as long as the door remained open.

An Auror stood in the doorframe gasping for air. His message made Elphaba's blood turn cold, the entire conversation forgotten. He announced it in between gulps of air, having been rushing through crowds to get to them. "Weasley is gone!"

**Coming up: Something very important goes missing.**

**-Wolfie**


	31. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

**The title for chapter thirty is from…well…it's complicated. It was originally supposed to be from Tick, Tick…Boom! but apparently, it also comes from Into the Woods, See What I Wanna See, and The Goodbye Girl. Congrats to Yank2324, GreenCowsGoMoooo, Wickedgreenchild, and Easterly Winds.**

**It's official. There are going to be 33 chapters instead of 32. **

_Chapter 31: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life_

"We have to tell McGonagall what's happened. She needs to know," Hermione said commandingly as the four, comically slinking about and resembling a group of spies in the face of avoiding the busy corridors, left the dungeons.

"Why?" Snape asked. "Adding a murderer on the loose in the school to her plate will only hurt her."

"Yes, but as Harry is out of the picture for now, that leaves McGonagall in charge of the Order. It would be severely irresponsible of us to overlook any kinds of delays we could cause in not informing her." Hermione said patiently, pausing to effectively make her point.

Snape wrung his hands and squinted his eyes at the dreary setting. "What kind of Auror trusts a Death Eater?" he derided. The story went that Ron had feigned an increasing internal injury that begged attention in his cell and pleaded for a visit to Madame Pomphrey. He droned on and on, clutching his imaginary wounds in the moist, dank cell until the Auror on duty gave in.

The darkness portrayed the Death Eater as a still, silent form in agony on the ground, until the Auror was close enough to be attacked. Ron leapt onto her and smashed the back of her head on stone to collect enough time to steal her wand and escape without a trace.

"There could be something in the Grimmerie, Elphaba," suggested Fiyero. "Some kind of locater spell that could track him down."

Inwardly, Elphaba groaned at the suggestion, though valid. The Grimmerie was a thing of treachery to her, and she'd endured enough of it for several lifetimes. It was a game of fire with the tome, one easily lost or gone awry, but it did hum a hopeful tune in such situations. "It's worth a try," she nodded, partly to convince herself. "The Grimmerie is in my rooms. We might as well get it now. Maybe we could find Ron before telling McGonagall about his escape, and perhaps some stray Death Eaters looming around the area as well. Come on." She twisted on her heel and headed in the opposite direction for the others to follow.

As they approached the portrait hole, there was something strange about how the portrait hung open slackly, as if shut in a hurry or left open in mockery. Fiyero cast the green witch a skeptical look. "Since when did you ever leave your portrait door open?"

"I didn't," Elphaba said simply. "I never do." Without hesitation, she stalked into the room and drew out her wand nervously.

"D'you think Glinda would have?" Hermione implied.

"No, she's been meeting with Pomphrey all morning, and with all the reporters, she knows we can't take that chance." The green witch swayed unconsciously. "Besides, we've both been using Floo Powder to get around."

"Let's not stand around and conjure ideas," said Snape, who moved to join Elphaba. "We've a Death Eater to catch, and you're worried about open portrait doors."

Elphaba was the first to walk in and took a sharp inhale at how the once pristine room greeted her. "Oh Merlin," she muttered, taking care not to step on the clutter strewn across the floor as she inspected the damage of her dilapidated living room.

The floor was covered in what should have been organized in cupboards; said items had been pulled from their home and placed wherever. The couch was filled backwards for effect and curtains were forced from their hinges to lie in heaps nearby. Drawers were upturned and her desk was a mess. Things were torn and smashed out of a kind of frustration. It seemed as though a miniscule tornado ripped through the room, but there was something curious about the clutter. Piles on the floor were somehow in order, as though the tornado wished to sort as best its clumsy, cyclonic hands could manage.

"What in the bloody hell happened here?" Snape yelled, surveying the room as Fiyero and Hermione stepped in to find out what the matter was. Items were scattered and broken every which way, and Fiyero stumbled over a chair leg.

Elphaba absently righted the over-turned coffee table, paying no attention to it and feeling devastated. She picked up a folder that once had her students' work waiting to be marked in alphabetical order before turning towards her friends. The awed expressions they wore mirrored Elphaba's shock, articulating the injustice manifesting in her stomach.

"Well?" Hermione interrupted their rendezvous of astonishment. "What are we all standing around here for? A house-elf?" She bent down and began to collect spare pieces of parchment, rolling them up in a massive collection and slung clothing over a shoulder.

"I'm almost afraid to go into your bedroom," Fiyero noted.

"I believe it," Elphaba grinned wryly at him. "But it can't be any worse than this. I don't understand why someone would… who could have done this? And why would they?"

"This looks familiar," Snape said. "Perhaps they were looking for something. Is anything missing?"

"It'd be a bit difficult to tell in this mess," Hermione answered for Elphaba, her maternal instincts grinding like wheels in the green witch's defense.

"I've nothing valuable in here anyway," Elphaba reasoned. "Unless the thief had an insatiable desire for homework and books about Dueling and Chancellor histories."

"What about money?" Fiyero asked hesitantly.

Elphaba quirked an eyebrow at him, causing a sheepish shrug of broad shoulders. "Fiyero, I'm not in much wealth over here. I wouldn't even make it to the top ten list of a robber."

"What about your bedroom – do you have anything of value in there?" Hermione frowned slightly at the rolls of parchment she collected from the havoc, which had unrolled and fell on the floor again.

"No, nothing. I've got-" The witch stopped abruptly, paling slightly, her color appearing mint in her realization. "No. No, no, no," she whispered in a hiss, panicked. She ran over to her bedroom and threw open the doors, exposing the damage there. She disappeared for a time, until the other three were met with a muffled, yet fully angered, "Dammit!"

"What is it, Fae?" Snape said impatiently. "You can be as cryptic as Albus was, more than often, you know that? Do you know what's missing?"

Elphaba marched out of her bedroom, cheeks darkened from searching the closet. She turned to the Order members. "The Grimmerie is gone."

"What?" yelped Fiyero, striding past Elphaba into the room, as if to double check. He was wholly aware of the Grimmerie's terrorizing past and debatable creation, more so than the others. 'Where did you put it before? Out in the open for the world to see?"

"Right in that top drawer, on the left." Elphaba pointed to where her ex-boyfriend was causing commotion. "The thief broke the bloody locks too, as you can see."

"We know why they broke in now: for the stupid book," Fiyero sighed, leaning on the wall. "So the next question is, who-"

"Who do you think, Tiggular?" Snape had been looming around the room until now. "Who's been affiliated with the Dark Lord and recently escaped his cell? Who's been looking to defeat Fae in one way or another? Yes, you're nodding your head." Fiyero eyed the Potions Master with a glare.

"It was Ron. He's right." Hermione walked into the room, clutching something. In her palm were clusters of distinctly red hairs, rooted from the scalp. "There are even footprints around the doorway, big ones. Ron has big feet."

"That's just great, then," Elphaba snapped. "Weasley is Merlin-knows-where with a deadly weapon in his control. He's gone on about all these great powers bestowed on him by Voldemort. Maybe he thinks he can use the Grimmerie to elicit it."

"He can't read the Grimmerie, remember?" Fiyero reminded, his tone slightly optimistic, however feeble. "The best thing he could use it for is selling, or as a bargain chip. Maybe he wants a ransom or something. Just don't worry."

"The implications are still dire." Snape crossed his arms across his chest. "I agree with Fae. The book is dangerous in the wrong hands. We don't know what his plans are."

"We'll be on the lookout. He can't have gone far," Elphaba sighed. "There's nothing we _can _do about it now. If Weasley tries anything, we'll be ready for him, but until then, we'll be waiting."

"How could Ron get in though?" Hermione asked, hesitant about how to approach the subject. "You're certain you didn't leave the portrait door open?"

"Do I look that careless to you?" Elphaba snarled loudly, wound up from the destruction of her rooms. The overwhelming activities as of late were a strain and subjected the witch to irritation, as it did to everyone.

"Stop it, Elphaba!" Fiyero immediately jumped to Hermione's defense, almost going so far as to jump in front of her. "She's just trying to be helpful. We all are."

Elphaba faltered and then gave the bushy haired witch an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Hermione," she said sincerely. "I appreciate it. But I didn't leave the door open. Like I said, I never do. It's just so… frustrating. I don't understand how…" Her eyes landed on the fireplace and she paused. "The fireplace."

"The fireplace?" Snape repeated doubtfully. "Isn't it password protected? Otherwise Weasley would have had to get through the obligatory Hogwarts security."

"It used to have a password protection," Elphaba said, slumping somewhat. "I disabled it a while ago because Glinda and I were using it so much; it was easier that way. As long as Weasley knew the destination, he could gain access."

"What should we do now, then?" Fiyero asked anxiously, clicking his tongue.

"Fae's right. There's nothing we _can_ do," Hermione answered solemnly. "Nothing except re-set the password, and-" she tripped over a canvas frame "-clean up this mess, and then wait for something to happen."

* * *

Elphaba couldn't quite remember the specific details of the speeches given at Dumbledore's funeral, perhaps because she wasn't paying attention all along. She could say, though, that there wasn't a dry eye among those who attended, including her own. There were hundred of wizards and witches, coming and going in great throngs, who came to pay their respects and celebrate the life of one of the greatest wizards to live. She struggled over the concept, but in result still couldn't quite grasp that the Headmaster wasn't coming back.

Voices could be heard along the shore of the lake, and despite her better judgment, Elphaba ducked behind a tree to eavesdrop.

"I still remember our third year, when Dumbledore helped us rescue Sirius." It was Hermione, walking along with her hands clasped. "It's one of my favorite memories of him; that is, defying the ministry and helping a convict escape. But he was a good convict." She smiled despite moist eyes.

Fiyero was walking alongside, and somewhere along the line they sat down. Catching wind of Hermione's emerging distress, he took her hand in his. "He was an amazing man," he acknowledged, smoothing enunciating his words. "I feel honored and privileged to have worked closely for him."

"I'm glad you did too," Hermione admitted, blushing. "Because if you hadn't, I wouldn't have come to know you. _You're_ an amazing man, Fiyero."

It seemed Fiyero was quite bashful himself, as his free hand ripped at stray blades of grass. "Well, I-you're quite brilliant yourself, Hermione. You're so smart, and you have such a passion and fire about life, and the Order, not to mention for ending house-elf enslavement. There's nothing to dislike about you."

Hermione laughed and placed her other hand over the one holding hers. "Oh Fiyero, I was so worried for you during the battle. I kept thinking that maybe you'd be struck down, up there in the sky. I don't think I could handle if you had died as well."

Fiyero flashed his large teeth and took Hermione's chin in his thumb and forefinger, tilting her face slightly. "Well, here I am," he said reassuringly. "All of that has passed, and we're both safe to make decisions of our own free will. There's nothing to fear anymore."

Suddenly aware of their physical closeness, he quickly dropped his hand and apologized wordlessly. Hermione gazed at him kindly, squeezing his hand so they would be eye to eye. Without missing a beat, their unbreakable staring contest turned into a meeting of lips as they leant forward to close the gap that was minimizing anyhow.

Elphaba stared in shock, having been crouching at the base of the tree the entire time. She certainly hadn't expected _this_ to happen, and she couldn't help but find it uncomfortably familiar. She had noticed the stolen glances between the two for a month, or maybe more, she couldn't recall. Something that could have been jealousy, if it wasn't so meek, was born in Elphaba, but she shook it off and turned to leave. However, she hesitated when Fiyero spoke.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Fiyero stuttered uncharacteristically as they broke apart. "I didn't mean to- I mean, I don't know why- I-I'll just go, then."

"Why are you sorry?" Hermione asked, sounding slightly hurt and pulling on his hand to beckon him to take a seat since he made to leave.

"I- well, I- It's just that you deserve someone better, Hermione," Fiyero sighed. "You deserve better than an ex-scarecrow and an ex-Gale Force officer who is in exile from his home country."

"Does it look like I care about any of that?" Hermione laughed, clutching tightly to his arm. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions, and you're right: there's nothing left to fear or stifle our choices. I know who I like and who I'd like to date."

"But-but Hermione," Fiyero protested, somehow determined to break her persistence. "I can't even do magic; I'm obsolete! Doesn't that bother you at all? Don't you want someone who can do magic?"

"You certainly aren't obsolete," Hermione said pointedly. "My parents are Muggles; I lived for eleven years without a clue about the wizarding world." She narrowed her eyes. "Is this your way of telling me you don't want to date?"

"Oh no, no," Fiyero hastily reassured the bushy-haired witch. "I do want to, more than anything. I just don't want it to be something you'll regret later."

"I can guarantee you, that's impossible," Hermione said sweetly. "If it makes you feel any better, we can take things slowly."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Fiyero said, and they leaned in to steal another kiss. Elphaba rolled her eyes and left her hiding spot for the castle. She was truly pleased that Fiyero was able to find his own happiness and suppressed a nasty smirk until she could tell Glinda all about it.

* * *

"Hermione and Fiyero are WHAT?" Glinda shrieked.

Elphaba's lips curled into a small smile. "Together," she repeated. "Just don't tell them that we know. I want to see how long it'll take before they decide to tell _us_."

"Their secret is safe with me," Glinda smiled back. Elphaba smirked, knowledgeable of the blonde's inability to keep things to herself. Glinda didn't seem to care much for it, though, after the battle. Her main concern and relief was that Elphaba was alive and well and that they were together. It was a one-track mindset, and immensely selfish, but Glinda decided she deserved to be. She was glad it was Harry who took the final blow, instead of Elphaba, cruel as it was. The blonde tried to scold herself, but just found she was too thankful to care otherwise, when Elphaba broke into her consciousness.

"Hello?" Elphaba was saying. "Sickle for your thoughts."

"Oh, I was just thinking-" Glinda began absently, playing with the fringes of her dress.

"Thinking?" Elphaba raised her eyebrows, teasing meanly. "Well, that's got to be a first."

Glinda narrowed her eyes at the green witch and playfully smacked her arm. "Oh, hush you! As I was saying before I was so _rudely interrupted_," she paused for emphasis and stuck her face near Elphaba's with a mock glare, "I was thinking about how the war is finally over. I haven't even been here long and it seems surreal – I'm just so thankful."

Elphaba bit her lip and sighed, having hoped to avoid the impending conversation for at least a few more weeks. The topic would inevitably unfold, and they'd have to confront it sooner than later. "Yes, thank Merlin for that. But there's just… but then…"

"What's the matter?" Glinda's face was etched with genuine concern.

Elphaba smiled at the blonde and pulled her up by the arm. "Come for a walk with me." She was thinking about how to approach the subject on her way back to her rooms, which were finally cleaned up after much hassle.

In her anxious state, Elphaba tended to walk in long, fast strides Glinda couldn't keep up with, but the blonde bounced along and tugged at the green witch to slow her some. "What is it, Elphie? You're acting like the war's just begun."

Elphaba bit her tongue at the symbolism. "Well, now that the war is over," Elphaba began, choosing her words hesitantly, "the duties Albus asked you to fulfill are complete, and you'll have to go back to Oz and sort through your work you left behind. When you do, I can't. That is to say, when you go back to Oz, I can't join you."

"Oh," Glinda said softly, her pretty expression practically melting from her face, replaced with glumness. She'd hoped they wouldn't have to concentrate on her departure for a while and had prolonged confronting it in her thoughts until now. They'd rekindled their relationship through multiple tests and proclamations, and Glinda didn't want to spend any more time apart from Elphaba. They'd done that already.

"There's nothing keeping you here anymore," Elphaba reminded, explaining more to herself than Glinda.

"Yes there is," Glinda hissed, forcing Elphaba to stop in her tracks. "You're here. I'd say that's a pretty good reason, now wouldn't you?"

Elphaba sighed again, having predicted Glinda's persistence. Talking about breaking apart and thinking about it became two very separate things, and now that they were to discuss it, something just beneath Elphaba's ribcage felt like it was tearing up.

"Glinda, don't be ridiculous. You've so many responsibilities to govern Oz. You'll be abandoning an entire population that solely depending on you. You've abandoned your position for the better part of a year, with no information on whether any disasters have occurred yet. Merlin knows that Oz will fall apart if you stay here any longer. Radicals to the Wizard, or even someone like the Wizard or Morrible could find power."

It was only logical and right, but Glinda refused to accept the facts in her heart, at least. It seemed the universe was determined to force the two of them to be alone. She took Elphaba's hand hopefully.

"Come back with me!" she suggested, although they knew well that answer wasn't feasible. "You could stay in the palace; Lurline knows how many unnecessary rooms it has. Until I finish clearing your name, you can hide out there and I won't leave."

"No." Elphaba pulled her hand back. "That's that idea you and I both know would never work. I mean, if you were to clear my name, what exactly is it you'd say? 'The Wicked Witch was actually framed, sorry for that teeny inconvenience. Oh yeah, and did I mention she's hiding out in the palace because she's my _lover_?' That would go over well with the audience, I'm sure."

"But Elphie-" Glinda protested.

"Glinda," Elphaba extended her hand to take Glinda's, as though it was her turn. "I don't belong to Oz anymore. If you try to change that, someone will hurt you, and I would never forgive myself. Besides, it's not like we'll never see each other again."

"I want to be where you are. I belong with you, Elphaba, I belong _to you_. You deserve to be happy, so there's a simple way to fix this. If you can't come back, I simply won't go back," said the blonde in vain, though her eyes were fiery and she was looking at Elphaba in a way that indicated she was pleading.

Elphaba smiled sadly. "You know you can't just do that. You have success and responsibility in Oz, too much to throw away here. I myself have responsibility here to attend to."

Glinda caught Elphaba's eyes, the green witch reluctant, since that begging expression was still on the blonde's face. "Elphie, it's two different worlds. It's accepting it that hard – I don't want to be away from you."

"Neither do I, Glinda." She squeezed the blonde's hand. "Perhaps we've always belonged to two different worlds. Um… when-when do you think you're going to leave?"

"I've one last responsibility here that you've overlooked," Glinda said pointedly.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow expectantly, unable to think up an answer. "Which would be?"

"Harry," Glinda answered. "I want to make sure he'll be okay. Until he wakes up, he's under not only Madame Pomphrey's care, but mine as well. I can't believe you wish me to shirk!"

Elphaba couldn't help but smile wryly, not protesting the answer. It was an excuse to prolong their separation, although there was some truth to it. To an outsider, it may even seem logical. A part of Elphaba, the selfish part, wanted Glinda to stay with her until the end of their lives, and that seemed fitting, but obligation overpowered desire.

"That sounds good," she agreed, nodding. She was willing to keep Glinda in England for as long as possible. Who knew? Maybe there would be a way of communication between them, if they were lucky. Elphaba reminded herself to research that.

* * *

June gave way to July, the days slipping rapidly by, like grabbing a fistful of sand and watching it pour between your fingers. Harry was still committed to bed, unconscious. He probably wouldn't be awake for his twenty-sixth birthday at the end of the month, as hypothesized by Madame Pomphrey. Meanwhile, life in the castle adapted to the new environments of change and went on as normal.

To keep themselves preoccupied, Glinda and Elphaba made bets on when Fiyero and Hermione would come forward about their relationship. They avoided their own inevitable break up by sniggering like schoolgirls when they purposely looked and found Hermione and Fiyero steal glances at dinner and through the day.

July was nearing its end, and the couple was feeling cheated. "I don't think he'll ever tell us now," Glinda whined. "I mean, he messes up the two of us and won't even let us mock his stabilized relationship in public."

"Maybe he's too much of a child to admit to being normal," Elphaba suggested. Finally, one day in last July, Fiyero asked to talk to Elphaba in private.

**Coming up: A confession and a private talk.**

**Hmm...what do you think of Hermione/Fiyero? I think they'd go well with each other. Actually, I think Harry and Elphaba go well also, but Elphaba is with Glinda. Besides, in this story, I believe that Harry looks up to Elphaba more as an older sister than anything. **

**I'm done rambling now. **

**-Wolfie**


	32. Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now

**The title for chapter thirty-one is from…Spamalot. Congrats to Yank2324, Easterly Winds, RECblue8, and X-Kate-X.**

**Hmm…I don't have much to say right now. The story's almost over. **

_Chapter 32: Keepin' Out of Mischief Now_

He was nervous, Elphaba could tell, by the way he kept his eyes downcast, and when they shifted to her, he was alarmed. He stood a ridiculous distance from her when suggesting they talk. He told Elphaba that he and Hermione had something to bring up to her. Careful not to burst out laughing, the green witch acted as though something was wrong, to add to the prince's anxiety.

Elphaba led Fiyero and Hermione back to her rooms, where she prepared tea and sat them in her living room. Hermione, too, seemed restless – she was pacing. For dramatic effect, Elphaba drew the curtains closed and sat down solemnly with her legs crossed.

"Alright, now that we're comfortable, what's all this you were talking about?" she asked, waiting patiently.

"Well, er, we wanted to talk to you about…" Fiyero seemed hesitant, "Hermione, maybe you should take this one."

Hermione's expression was that of someone who was recently slapped. "Oh no, this one is yours," huffed the bushy haired witch, and she sat down on the sofa beside the prince.

Elphaba studied them seriously. "Before you start whatever nonsense," she said in the stern tone she'd adopted from McGonagall to deal with students, "I just wanted to express how thankful I am for all of us to survive the battle. Delving deeper, I wanted to convey my gratitude for the friendship you've both given me in the past years, especially for being so patient after I arrived from the Riddle House. Hermione-" the bushy haired witch swallowed dryly, "for taking part in my rescue."

"Really, Elphaba, this isn't nec-" Fiyero started, but the green witch held up a hand to silence him.

"No, I have to do this." She cast him a look of indifference, wishing very hard that Glinda was there to witness this. "I also want to thank _you _for being so good about being friends. We broke up roughly, I know, and I'm sorry for that. We carry a deep understanding of one another, and I'm glad we're friends. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you both mean a lot to me, and I know you'd never wish to harm me as I would never think of doing so to you. Just… thank you."

Hermione and Fiyero seemed to disappear into the couch, radiating their discomfort through awkward glances. The drapery didn't hang properly since Ron had reduced the rooms to wreckage, much like Elphaba's wincing ribs. Thus, rays of light shone through a bare angle, and Hermione stared at it as though she wanted nothing more than to see outside again.

Elphaba _really_ wished Glinda were there to see it.

"That's very, uh, kind of you, Fae," Hermione stuttered.

"Now, what's this about big announcements?" Elphaba asked happily, clasping her hands together.

If the green witch was seeing correctly, Fiyero was sweating under the pressure. "You see, there's something we want to say, and we decided it would be best to tell you first." Elphaba nodded, indicating that Fiyero should go on, and shifted to cross her legs. "Just because you and I were close in Oz, with what we went through," Fiyero added quickly.

"What? Did you find Weasley or something?" Elphaba raised an eyebrow in fake curiosity.

"N-no." Fiyero was shifting his eyes again.

"Harry's awake?"

"Not exactly," Hermione said lightly.

Elphaba hesitated to think. "Voldemort's awake?"

"Merlin, _no_!" Fiyero was exasperated now, and Elphaba's lips were twitching from the insatiable urge to laugh. One might call her sadistic, but she believed she deserved a little mockery in the face of their endeavors. "Hermione and I are dating."

"You're _what_?" Elphaba flared her nostrils for effect, and Fiyero's joints acted out of fear. Perhaps he wanted to run, because his shin connected with the coffee table and violently jolted its contents.

"We've been seeing each other for a month or two," Hermione elaborated bravely, "after the battle, and Dumbledore's funeral."

Elphaba faked a shocked chuckle and shrouded her eyes, as if to ward off a headache. "I can't believe this," she hissed.

Fiyero was at his last straw; it seemed he couldn't handle the pressure. Elphaba had been his biggest relationship and somewhat of a cohort, so if she disapproved, his nerves would be in shambles.

"Look, Elphaba," he began a little louder than intended, "I wanted to come to you because you and I, I thought, used to have something special. You're a great friend. We wanted your blessing for our relationship, Hermione and I, because of that."

Genuinely, the green witch burst out laughing. She couldn't contain herself any longer, and it was enough to torture the two so. They looked crestfallen, especially Fiyero, who resembled a kicked puppy with drooping eyes with a lost, confused expression.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Elphaba roared, wiping her eyes. "I don't mean to laugh at you. It's just… it's so evident that you two are fond of one another. How could I not tell already?"

Hermione blushed. "You could?" she repeated, releasing the grip she kept on her knees.

Elphaba smiled and nodded. "Glinda thinks it's sweet. I think it's wonderful, really, that you found each other. I support you, but," she turned to Fiyero, "why would you need my _blessing_? I'm not your father, I'm not lonely. I'm flattered, but… you can be incredibly daft."

Fiyero gritted his teeth, but let it go, grabbing for his tea and gulping it down in one shot. He looked as though a sleepless night was restored on the surface of his skin; considerably happier. "I may be daft, but you're just plain mean."

Elphaba grinned proudly. "I know," she shrugged. "Would it make you feel better if we tricked Glinda into something?"

"I was just worried that it would be…well…awkward," Fiyero told her, "since I was your first…you know."

"Nah," Elphaba shrugged. "It's fine. Besides, I have Glinda, remember?"

"True," Hermione smiled. "But Fae…thank you."

* * *

Harry wasn't allowed more than two visitors at a time, which was more than enough for him to handle, as Madame Pomphrey put it. Elphaba suspected it was more befit a limit for the nurse, as she couldn't handle much more until the following school term. Harry, who had woken from his coma not a few days before, had been denied visitors until this point. Elphaba paced habitually at the doors of the Hospital Wing, the clicking of her boots echoing off the floor, for the ceiling was too high to reflect meagre noise. She wasn't patient, but she was forced to wait for Fiyero and Hermione to finish their visit.

Finally, the door opened to reveal the Winkie prince. "How is he?" Elphaba asked eagerly.

Fiyero shrugged. "As well as can be expected. Considering a month-long hiatus from independently showering, he doesn't look too bad."

"Oh. Well, thank Merlin for that," Elphaba sighed, unsmiling. "Is Hermione still in there?"

"Yes," Fiyero nodded, starting to leave. "But it's alright for you to go in; she'll be finished soon." They quickened their paces away from one another: Fiyero down the hall, his footsteps never making enough racket to reverberate off the impossibly high ceiling, and Elphaba into the Hospital Wing.

"Harry!" she called, the anxiety that had been building in her mind disappearing at the man's seemingly healthy state. She took a seat next to Hermione at Harry's bedside, who smiled at her quietly.

Harry dusted invisible crumbs off his bed sheets and turned to the green witch. "Hello, Fae," he grinned. "You'll be disappointed to know that your time with the award for Most Time Spent in the Hospital Wing is up. Hand it over, thank you."

"I think I should leave," Hermione interrupted, her chair scraping against the floor. "I'll see you later, Harry, Fae."

"Have fun with Fiyero," Harry called out mockingly. At the comment, his eyes reflected a twinkling that resembled Dumbledore's knack for reassuring people. Elphaba sat quietly and found it fairly ironic.

Hermione whirled around and gave Harry a single swat on the head. He ducked, laughing. "You're as awful as Fae," Hermione declared, not a hint of resentment on her lips. "And if you weren't bed-ridden, you'd find yourself nicely bruised."

"Me?" Elphaba asked innocently. "What did I do?"

Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but contented herself with shaking her head in exasperation. "You're impossible. Both of you," she muttered, creating a long gap of silence. The two remaining Order members watched as she left, the heavy door closing behind her.

"So, Fae," Harry began as soon as Hermione was gone. "tell me, what exactly have I missed?"

"I assume you know full well about Hermione and Fiyero's relationship?" Elphaba guessed, amused.

"Yeah." Harry continued to grin widely. "I also know full well about what _you_ did to them when they told you."

There was something different about Harry, a lighter demeanour, maybe. He'd woken up in a more peaceful world, a kind of rebirth to accommodate his hardships against Voldemort. The worst was over for him. Tthe only feature he needed to compensate for now was a new hobby to fill up the time the war used to. Elphaba mused wryly that attending funerals would do the trick, considering the Light fighters' body count.

"Don't try to convince me you didn't try to do the same," Elphaba warned, "or something like it. They're easy prey."

"Hermione told me she liked Fiyero already before the battle," Harry explained, shrugging slightly. "She'd been watching him for a while, you know, to see if he was over you. I figured it was only a matter of time before Hermione, Miss Determined to Win Everything, would in fact, gain his courtship."

"Now, I find that vaguely devious," Elphaba laughed, "which is why they're perfect for each other."

There was a brief pause, indicating that they'd used up their energies for one subject and the conversation was bound to shift. Harry began, "What was that spell you used? Was it from the Grimmerie?"

Elphaba nodded vigorously, prepared to elaborate. "It was a shielding spell that was supposed to absorb and destroy counter energy to your own. All those times I've missed lunch was to practice, although it turned defective anyhow." She flicked her wrist to indicate the bed, and ultimately, Harry's incapacitated state.

Harry shot her a sober expression. "You saved my life, Fae. It's not as though the spell was invalid. Counts for something, doesn't it?"

"I suppose," Elphaba finally agreed begrudgingly.

"What else have I missed out on?" Harry asked, reclining back onto the mattress. "We're certain Voldemort is finished? It's… it's hard to believe. I mean, he's weaved in and out of the radar so often – that's how he kept prosperous, and I-"

"Yes," Elphaba said overpoweringly. "It's over, Harry. You'd regret missing the celebratory weeks that followed. I can give you the official article from the Daily Prophet if you want, to eliminate any doubts. It's in my rooms." Thinking back to her rooms, however, defeated her smile and reminded her of another concern Harry ought to be informed of.

The Boy-Who-Lived immediately detected that something was amiss. He lost his own grin. "What is it, Fae? Something else happened that you're not telling me," he said simply.

Not wanting to alarm her friend, Elphaba forced a small smile. "It's nothing, really," she said. "I'm dealing with it as best I can."

Harry crossed his arms, strikingly resembling Hermione, as it was her own habit in dealing with the most stubborn of her friends. "Don't say it's nothing and tell me the whole truth."

"Do you remember when you told me about the Weasley sister – Ginny, was it – who broke into your rooms to steal Tom Riddle's diary?" Harry nodded in encouragement for her to continue. "Well, the same thing happened to me a few weeks ago."

"Someone broke into your rooms?" Harry clarified, and Elphaba nodded, waiting for him to follow with a slur of questions. "How? What's been taken? Do you know who did it? When? Why?"

"The Grimmerie is gone," Elphaba finally said, as though it were all that was needed to say. Harry recoiled some, but the green witch figured he deserved the entire truth, which he'd asked after. "I don't wish to upset you, or-"

"You haven't upset me, but it's definitely alarming. You know who did it, then?"

Elphaba let a breath out slowly. "Although some of the Death Eaters' life forces were tied to Voldemort, not all of them were. There's a theory that a lot of the newly recruited members didn't have time to be bound to him, Weasley included. We were going to figure it out while he was in out custody…" Elphaba proceeded to explain the situation to Harry, whose expression remained neutral.

Harry was silent in his own thoughts after Elphaba finished, so she waited for him to say something. This accumulated in minutes slowly dragging by and dying out. She was thankful when he spoke, although he seemed slightly upset. "I can't believe Ron would do something like this- any of this. When I befriended him, he was a completely different person; he was so kind and…and _innocent_. I don't know when he found the time to change that drastically."

"And you tested him for the Imperious Curse, right?" Elphaba suggested, unable to provide much advice. "He was acting of his own free will?"

"Yes, he was," Harry said absently, frowning at the memory.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Elphaba apologized lightly.

"Yeah, me too." He sighed slightly. "Just be careful about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Ron… in the simplest sense, Fae, Ron hates you." Harry bit his lower lip in deciding how to continue. "He's going to be looking for every opportunity to finish you off, especially now that you took part in Voldemort's defeat. You're one of my best friends, so just watch your back when you deal with this. I don't want to see you get hurt, and if he's in possession of the Grimmerie…"

Elphaba blinked, wishing to obstruct the sudden vision of Dumbledore in her mind and of what he told her before he died. _You need to tell Harry and Severus the truth, so that they'll be able to protect you, because I won't be able to_. "Weasley can't read the Grimmerie, though, which makes it easier on us," Elphaba said, simultaneously wondering whom she was trying to assure.

"But maybe some other people can who he could team up with," Harry protested.

"You're one of the two other people who can read the Grimmerie, or at least, who can read it productively. The other is in Oz, in prison, according to Glinda. Look, Harry, there's no reason to get worked up about this, I'm dealing with it effectively. It's my fault for not putting enough security around the Grimmerie. So just… don't worry so much," Elphaba concluded, eerily reminding herself of the people trying to cease her own anxiety.

"But-" Harry began, but was silenced by Elphaba's stern look. He sighed, "Fine. Any other news I've neglected to pick up?"

"Glinda's leaving," Elphaba admitted, felling her heart clench. "She was going to stay until you woke, and now that you've been okay for a few days, she's preparing to leave." The light-hearted banter that they'd experienced before was permanently replaced with a gloomy, solemn air by now, one that was lingering over the green witch more so than when she didn't try to amend it.

"Leave?" Harry questioned.

"She needs to go back to Oz, which I can accept. I just wish… oh, never mind," Elphaba stopped herself. She noticed that the windows behind Harry's bed were open and that in the early morning, a choir of birds was singing a happy tune. All of a sudden Elphaba wanted them to stop.

"What?" Harry asked, making as if to lay his hand overtop hers, if she didn't pull away. "You wish what?"

"That…well, I wish I could at least talk to her. We'll be separated with no form of communication, and though I've tried to find several methods, they've come up short. I wasted time trying to find a way to stay in touch instead of appreciating her actually _being here_."

"There's always owls or Floo Power," Harry suggested.

"But Oz is a completely different world," Elphaba complained. "I highly doubt owls would be able to find her, and I don't believe she's got a specific fireplace address to Floo to. Unless I arrive there by some freak mistake, by messing up my words or something." _Merlin help me if that happens,_ Elphaba finished silently.

"You could probably enchant a Portkey, or go through the portal, too," Harry said, genuinely trying to help. "In fact, when you do, tell me. I'm quite curious myself as to what Oz is like."

Elphaba muttered something under her breath about curious wizards and Oz not mixing well, but raised her voice to reason with him. "I can't go to Oz every time I want to talk to Glinda."

"Well…" Harry fluffed out the sheet shrouding him up to his lap, speaking thoughtfully. "I suppose there is a simpler way."

"And that would be your cue to tell me," Elphaba said, raising an eyebrow at him. There was some hope in her voice, one that was for Harry to recognize just how much she wanted to be with Glinda. "What other way?"

Harry didn't bother to answer her directly. Instead, he wrung his hands and said to her, "This is what you need to do, okay? Floo into my apartment. Potter Place," he said with an instructional tone of voice. "Go to my workroom, and there'll be a desk. Open the middle drawer on the left side and there'll be two objects wrapped in grey tissue at the back. I think they're in a cardboard box. Bring them back here for me, since Pomphrey will have my head if I even think of leaving the Wing."

Elphaba looked at him doubtfully, but Harry only smiled at her. "You'll see," he said as he waved her off. "They were given to me by someone who… meant a lot, but I figure you'll make much better use of them."

Elphaba stood and made for the fireplace at the other end of the Wing. "Thank you, Harry," she said, dipping her green fingers into the Floo Powder and extracting a leaking handful. "I appreciate it more than you know. Really."

"And Fae?" Harry called before she threw the powder in, causing the green witch to turn to him. He pointed accusingly. "For the love of Merlin, no _peeking_!"

Elphaba nodded, eying him suspiciously. She turned and threw the powder into the fireplace. "Potter Place." Dangerous looking green flames engulfed emerald flesh, and Harry was alone in the Hospital Wing.

He settled back in his bed and waited for Elphaba to return, or at least for another visitor for company. After hearing the timeline of Glinda and Elphaba's relationship- five years apart, one year together- he was glad to help his friends stay in touch. The both of them deserved to be happy together, though he couldn't understand why they needed to separate so severely. Hopefully, the two objects would successfully work across different worlds as it did with different planes, from Hogwarts to London.

**Coming up: Parting is such sweet sorrow.**

**Does anyone know what those two objects are? If you've read the HP books, they're actually in there. I didn't make them up. **

**OMG! I can't believe it! One more chapter and then, this will be over. Unfortunately, chapter 33 seems to be coming quite slowly. **

**-Wolfie**


	33. Thank Goodness

**The title for chapter thirty-two is from…Ain't Misbehaving. Congrats to Easterly Winds and Yank2324.**

**It's the last one! I was going to post this on Wednesday, but since today's Kristen ****Chenoweth's birthday, I decided to do it now. And sorry about the slightly depressing ending. **

_Chapter 33: Thank Goodness_

The two objects Harry had given Elphaba reflected against the light as she turned them over in her hands, examining them repeatedly, as if to try and find some hidden message or technological explanation. The stuffy air of late last August was still present in the green witch's nostrils, but now it was an entire year gone. She briefly imagined the absence of Glinda's undoubtedly expensive perfumed scent in the summer air.

In ten minutes she was to attend a party, one final celebration in the Order of Voldemort's successful defeat and a goodbye, all mashed into the infamous backdrop of the Great Hall's academic luxury. Elphaba didn't want to go. She dreaded going. The finality it marked mean that the witch would have to face reality, really face Glinda's absence rather than imagine it ominously. Nothing, not even Harry's gift to them, would make that okay, because lovers felt the love of each other in their hearts, but part of that was tangible. Elphaba figured that half of herself would be gone until Glinda came back. _How long would that take, again?_ She asked herself darkly.

Someone knocked on the portrait guarding her entrance rather meekly. "Come in," Elphaba called out, expecting another Ozian. Even Fiyero's presence would be comforting.

"I hate divination and I don't know your password, Fae!" Hermione called, laughing from outside the room. "You'll have to settle for letting me in!"

Elphaba stood, placed the objects neatly in their wrapping, and advanced to the portrait. She swung it open and stuck her head out. "If you truly wanted to get married, you wouldn't care for my blessing," she said coyly before letting the bushy haired witch in, grinning as she came.

"No!" Hermione failed to swat Elphaba in the head. Instead, she merely met thin air and swung her arms uselessly. "I said it before, and I'll say it again: You're horrible, Fae Thropp."

"I am simply prejudging to avoid future confusion. For example, if you and Fiyero were to…" Elphaba stopped and raised her hands in mock surrender as Hermione put on a villainous grin and made to poke her. "What have you come for, really?" Remembering her manners, Elphaba indicated the couch.

Hermione grasped the green witch's forearm and dragged her down so they were seated beside one another. "I want to talk to you, Fae."

"That much is obvious, but the real mystery lies in what you wish to discuss," Elphaba prompted sarcastically.

"Glinda." Hermione said it solidly, her accent over-extenuating the 'ah'. Elphaba tried to interrupt with a snide remark to cover up the sadness building within her, but the bushy haired witch raised a hand with seniority. "Fiyero asked me to take it up with you, actually."

"So it's been him I've needed to kill all along," Elphaba mused absently. She recollected herself. "There's nothing to sort out, Hermione, I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Hermione replied evenly. "You pretend like you are, but the truth is that you have all the right and privilege to _not be okay_. Your girlfriend is leaving tomorrow to another world; I'd think you loony to be all right. What you must do is attend the party. It'll help. Instead of sitting up here by yourself, go down to the Great Hall and indulge for once."

"You came here to tell me all that?" Elphaba asked briskly. Her rooms were silent before this, and she had enjoyed it so much that the green witch had even made to shallow her breathing to preserve such quiet. It enveloped her and helped her forget her troubles. Here Hermione was now, reminding her of her grievances with a painful sting. It was like someone saying, "Here's the medication for your headache. Watch me throw it out the window."

"I also wanted to let you know that we're all here for you: Me, Fiyero, Harry, and even McGonagall's a shoulder, albeit a sharp one." Hermione reached for Elphaba's hand, which twitched at the touch, as the thought of recoiling came into the green witch's mind. "Fiyero wanted me to remind you that Glinda will be back before long. She couldn't stay away from you even if she tried."

Elphaba shrugged. "You could be correct. Putting that aside-"

"Come on, Fae." Hermione nodded towards the portrait guarding the entrance. "Glinda's waiting especially for you. Don't disappoint the poor thing. Besides, Snape's always saying that you're not one to mope."

"I'm coming, then," Elphaba sighed. "Give me a moment, will you?" She picked up the two objects on the desk. They were quaintly waiting to be rewrapped, and she obliged. The grey tissue paper crinkled with age under her fingers, but slipped into her pocket without protest.

Hermione watched with a curious expression. "Where did you get those?" she asked maybe too eagerly. "Harry's got a pair that are identical."

"These really are his," Elphaba admitted as they made their way out the room and through the empty corridor. "He says that Glinda and I should be able to communicate."

"Will they work from here to Oz?" Hermione frowned.

"Hopefully." Elphaba shrugged. She wished to say, "_T__hey better_," or "_Damn them if they don't!"_, but opted for contemplation and stalked moodily to the Great Hall. Recognizing Elphaba's negative mood towards sociality at the current moment, Hermione walked swiftly behind her so as to avoid backlash.

"Elphie!" Spotting the less-than-glowing witch, Glinda shrieked with happiness. "There you are!"

Elphaba smiled genuinely without exposing her teeth. "Here I am," she agreed. There was a beat spent before Hermione walked away to the nearest table, granting the couple privacy. They stared at each other for a moment. "Do you mind coming out with me?" Elphaba offered finally. "I have something to give you."

"Oh," Glinda sighed sadly, suddenly becoming crestfallen. "I didn't get you – you didn't have to get me anything-"

"It's more of a joint gift with Harry," Elphaba explained, walking through the giant double doors in the Entrance Hall, beckoning the blonde to follow. Slowly, they approached the lake at separate speeds. There was a sense of tranquility about how the waves lapped at the shore and the chilly breeze creeping up from the water that settled the green witch. The irony of its alleged danger towards her was of ridiculous degree; the lake was more than just memorable to her.

"Elphie?" Glinda's voice broke into Elphaba's thoughts.

"Over here." One could not spy on them from the entrance of the castle, for Elphaba chose a spot well hidden from view in fear of just that. "Then, I'll give you the- well, you'll see when you open it, won't you? Look."

They sat down, Elphaba drawing her legs up to her chest and Glinda resting her back against a fat oak tree. Elphaba uncovered one of the wrapped objects from her pocket and held it out in offering.

Glinda slowly unwrapped the grey tissue, peering up uncertainly now and again as she did so. She inhaled sharply as she discovered… "A mirror?" she asked lightly, stupefied at Elphaba's uncharacteristic choice. "And here, I was hoping for a picture book."

Elphaba didn't say anything. Rather, she smiled as she pulled out another mirror of identical proportion and decoration. "That would be preferable, yes, but they're more than ordinary mirrors," she said. "It's a way to communicate between worlds."

"Really?" Glinda let out a squeal, bouncing once or twice in excitement. "You're brilliant, Elphie! You really figured it out. I knew you could do it!"

"Give the credit to Harry: he was the one to figure it out," the green witch confessed. "Technically, he received them from his godfather quite some time ago, but they became obsolete after a while."

Glinda nodded, examining her mirror and drumming her nails on the glass face. "How do they work?" she asked curiously, a bounce present even in her voice, giving way to an endearing, childlike tone.

"You have to say my name clearly into the mirror," Elphaba replied. "I have the other mirror, so you'll be able to see me as well as talk to me. Of course, it's not as good as _physically_ being here, but it'll do for now."

"For now," echoed the blonde. She placed the mirror delicately beside her. "What does 'for now' mean? I don't want these devices to suffice. I want to be with you."

Elphaba sighed, toughening herself. "We've had this conversation before, Glinda, many times. We could be together again. Someday. Maybe." _If you believe in miracles_, she added bitterly.

"We'll talk every day. Promise me that, at least," Glinda demanded, her eyes bright in dismissal of Elphaba's pessimistic outlook, though inwardly cloudy. "And you have to tell me about everything, and I mean _everything_, that's happening with you. Just like normal."

"Of course," Elphaba promised, if only to reassure Glinda. "But that's a mutual agreement. It'll be as if we aren't apart at all." She spoke breathily, unable to hide a wave of dread and aching seep over her, much like the gentle lake. Like the lake, which reeled onshore and off, it reeled in and went back out. Glinda noticed, and she pulled Elphaba close and kissed her fiercely on the lips.

When the kiss was returned, they stayed that way as long as they could, pressing themselves together desperately and coming up short with future hopes. Glinda slowly traced Elphaba's sharp cheekbone. Trailing a lazy finger down her jaw, she elicited a shiver from the green witch.

At that time, Elphaba felt like a schoolgirl again, girlish, sheepish, and protesting without any real want or intent to stop. "We-" she whispered lightly before being cut off.

"Exactly. _W__e_. I love this." Glinda hushed her quietly, as though raising her voice would tear a hole in the moment. "I couldn't forget you. I'll never forget you. Even if I wanted to, never in a thousand, million, zillion years…"

Elphaba hummed appreciatively, resting her forehead on the blonde's temple, and mumbled something along the lines of "I love you". Glinda closed her eyes, trailing her lips down Elphaba's face, too saddened to just kiss her.

However, someone calling their names shattered their privacy. Elphaba felt she could actually hear the silence die out. "Elphaba? Glinda? Are you two out here?" The voice was approaching.

"Always in between us," Elphaba joked lightly, earning a sincere grin from the blonde. They stood up and dusted themselves off.

Fiyero proffered an apologetic shrug as he came forward. "Sorry to be a bother," he apologized awkwardly. "People are asking after you two."

"Those people should learn to piss off," Elphaba grumbled under her breath, making it so Fiyero could not hear.

"Don't worry Elphie." Glinda caught wind of her distress. "We'll have time to continue this later."

"Hey now," Fiyero cut in, slapping his hands over the sides of his head frantically. Elphaba smirked. "My ears are innocent!"

The green witch grinned evilly at Fiyero's discomfort, thoroughly pleased. She offered a cordial hand in front of her. "Lead the way, your Highness," she curtsied slightly, although awkwardly.

The Winkie prince scowled as he followed the two witches inside. "You know I hate it when you call me that."

Elphaba shrugged as she walked into the Great Hall. "Gives me all the more reason to do it," she said simply. Fiyero grinned with the two women on either side of him, remembering when it was simpler between the three - easier, more immature times.

Hermione stood amongst the jovial habitants of the Great Hall and performed a toast to Harry and Elphaba for their gallantry in defeating Voldemort. "Since this is Harry's first celebration in the routing of Voldemort, and certainly not the last, I propose a toast to both he and Fae for their brace, fruitful effort!" She winked and swirled her wine glass. "To Harry Potter and Fae Thropp!"

The hall roared with agreeing Order members, faculty members, and friends. Elphaba's verdant cheeks blushed a darker shade of green, and Harry grinned lopsidedly at her from embarrassment, hiding his face as much as he could in his hands.

He took initiative and stood to counter Hermione. The hall was brightly lit and decorated with the Hogwarts crest, the ceiling unfathomable from the candles floating upwards like a burning orchestra. Harry's scalp was mussed naturally, seeing that he could never tame it. He looked boyish in his handsome robes.

"I would also like to propose a toast," he began, grinning, "to a man without whom, we would not have been able to end the fighting. I'm sure we all have our stories of his honesty, his initiative, and his fearlessness. He wasn't frightened of Voldemort. Rather, from the beginning, he made to triumph over it. Look at us now! A toast to Albus Dumbledore!"

The crowd rumbled with gaiety, their cheers and agreements dying out into excited chatter. Harry took a seat while glancing at Elphaba, both appreciating the attention turning to someone else. A band took the stage and began to play songs pertaining to victory, the light mood happier, if possible, than the first feast kicking off a school semester. It was a school ball with adults. It was a victory of love and goodness.

_It was denial_, Elphaba thought darkly, and grasped Glinda's hand under the table. As the party settled into comfortable merriment, he made his way over to the green witch, holding out his hand and bowing.

"May I have the honor of this dance?" he asked as the music swayed in the background. Elphaba turned from talking to Glinda, her laughing grin fading into a kind of joking sneer.

"Only if Snape will entertain Glinda on the dance floor," she said. At the mention of his name, the Potions Master grimaced and glanced at Glinda warily.

The blonde wiggled and touched Snape's arm, who withdrew in horror. She giggled. "Oh, come on, Snape, I'm sure those two left feet of yours could use some exercise!"

* * *

If she cried outwardly, she wouldn't be able to stop. From time to time, Elphaba shuddered or sucked in air to stop her eyes from watering or emitting a sob. It started long before the party was over, watching as Glinda laughed carelessly, only to glance over at her and take her hand or smile with such _devotion_.

Everybody was so happy since the war was over, and they doubled their joy at these parties. Since the battle ended, Elphaba had been kneading her hands and gnawing on her lips, wishing this would end in some other way. The portal was ready and they both were stalling. Glinda could leave something behind – maybe her favorite shoes went overlooked, or maybe her wand was forgotten on the nightstand.

It was way past time for the blonde to return – she was off estimated schedule – and at this late hour- 1 PM- the sun did not attempt to hide.

Order members said their goodbyes: Madame Pomphrey forced Glinda to accept a parting gift, and even Snape managed a gruff goodbye, until only few people were left to see her off. Elphaba wished it was just her and Glinda, or better yet, the entire situation to be completely unnecessary.

Silence in such a large area contradicted Elphaba's normal enjoyment of it in confined places. It was eerie for the Great Hall to be so empty, and the silence built up heavily; Elphaba's limbs felt burdensome trying to move.

"You've been a tremendous help since the day Albus called you," McGonagall thanked heartily. "If ever you wish to come back, you'll be welcome at once."

"Thank you. It means a lot," Glinda said, patting the woman on the arm. "You're ten times better than any Headmistress I've ever met."

McGonagall blushed and backed away, as though there wasn't enough room for them all to shift in the colossal space. Hermione was next. She held back tears without avail, which Glinda shed as well as they conversed.

"You must be careful. He's devilishly handsome," Glinda narrowed her eyes playfully at the Winkie prince, earning a laugh from the bushy haired witch. Elphaba shuddered and received a pat on the shoulder from Fiyero.

Harry gave her a hug, and she thanked him repeatedly for the mirror. She whispered in his ear something that, when reading the blonde's lips, Elphaba hypothesized to be, "Take care of Elphie."

It was all very morbid. The green witch couldn't help but be reminded of a funeral, for she was becoming far from a stranger in recent experience after the final battle. She couldn't help but remember afterwards, in their rooms, she complained about the aftermath, and Glinda would touch her tenderly. They'd be preoccupied for another hour.

Presently, the blonde ordered Fiyero to behave himself and accepted a wide, opened arm hug – one only a dear, dear friend could get away with. His eyes were misty, and Glinda, who had somehow blinked her tears away after talking with Hermione, took his hand and was wished well. "Be careful of the flying monkeys," he warned. "They get restless in the autumn."

After silence engulfed them once more, Elphaba was the only one left who had not been consulted before Glinda left. The green witch couldn't bring herself to look up, but rather, listened to the silence. The others were waiting for her, so she swallowed her pride and met the other four.

"Do you… do you think you could…" She indicated the door. "For a minute, I…"

Understanding what Elphaba wanted, McGonagall nodded in Glinda's direction and herded the others out like sheep. The giant doors, larger than any other in the castle, slammed shut with a specific ancient _creak!_, and they were finally alone again. The green witch didn't think the hall had ever held as little as two people in it. It seemed absurd. Elphaba felt an urge to yell loudly to compensate for the missing noise.

"I wanted to-" Elphaba said, still not meeting the blonde's gaze, which were intent and burning a hole in the green witch's skull.

"Elphie," Glinda called, hoping to meet eyes.

"I wanted to tell you, I-"

"Elphaba, look at me, please." Glinda held her hand out, waiting. Elphaba raised her eyes and sucked in air, rushing forward and grasping her hand. "Elphaba, don't make that face."

"W-what face?"

"The one that says this is the end of the world," Glinda elaborated goofily, running her free fingers over Elphaba's lips, and they smiled together for just a second.

"But it… it is," Elphaba said quietly, dejectedly. "Or at least, it feels like it."

"I will call through our magic mirrors," Glinda instructed, her voice attempting to be powerful, but it was choked because of tears. Her face was a mess from her tears. "And we will talk forever. And then, when we're finished, you will call not more than one minute later. And then we'll talk for another forever."

"That sounds alright," Elphaba said distractedly. She had taken to wiping wetness from Glinda's cheeks with the tips of her fingers, brushing them across her blotching face. Her soft features were blemished, more natural, by the salty substance.

"Elphie, Elphaba," the blonde moaned. He fingertips on her cheeks turned to a hand on the back of the other's neck, guiding toward the green witch. They kissed beyond the need of air, and parted a long time after, gasping. It was instinctive, when words couldn't exactly translate emotion. Their mouths met again and again, lazier than before; stalling and harsh to the point of swollen lips.

"I wanted to say-" Elphaba said again.

"This will be hard-" Glinda was trying to explain.

"Wishing this was easier-"

"No way to make this easy-"

Elphaba sighed. Their hands were still entwined. They both looked down, the contrasting colours blending through tangled fingers: Green, pink, green, pink, green, pink. It was a fascinating combination, one that both had dwelled upon countless times before. It was a marvel to never be made logistical.

"I-I have to… go," Glinda said finally, her voice in monotone if it weren't still choked through emotion. Her throat swelled in an attempt to hold back wracking sobs, supposing that she'd save those for later.

Elphaba nodded as if to convince herself, and squeezed Glinda's hand before letting go. "I love you," she said. It was quiet, a different approach in dealing with welling emotion; she just wouldn't speak forcefully at all, so as to block out any crying.

"I'll miss you." Glinda brought her lips to Elphaba's in a quick, chaste kiss.

They avoided meeting eyes when they broke apart, and Glinda took up her bags and made for the portal with Elphaba by her side as they walked to the Forbidden Forest. The Clock of the Time Dragon was more than this, of course: it was a symbol of their entire existence in Oz. It influenced them in every major decision made, whether they knew it or not, and now it was breaking them apart again.

It was just a collection of energy from this world, or at least, the only visible feature, hovering like a frozen, colorless vortex. Though the Wizarding world in England was phenomenon, what with its trapping and clever division of magic, Elphaba felt more aware of the power from Oz. Perhaps she was warier because of the dangers from her past. Either way, somehow, the portal drew awe from the witch.

Elphaba watched, expressionless, as Glinda made her way up to the portal and hesitated. The green girl's heart caught in her throat. Glinda turned around and smiled at her, something less than a grin but with more vigor than bearing her teeth. It was that _devotion_ again, and it was contagious.

The green witch smiled weakly back at her and waved. Glinda nodded, smiling, and turned to walk through the portal.

When she was gone, the hand Elphaba waved was pressed soundly against her chest, the pumping of blood in and out of her heart beating against her breastbone, beating uselessly, pointlessly, incompletely…

Now there was only one person out on the Hogwarts grounds, a practically mind boggling number for the giant, airy space. All was silent now, and Elphaba couldn't even hear her own breath, as result of the coldness that was spreading through her. She whipped her hand away from her heart and, unsure of where to go next, walked away swiftly.

She walked back into Hogwarts and closed the door behind her.

**Coming up: Um…nothing. It's the end. –sob-**

**It's over! After going through one notebook and almost 200 pages on Word, it's over! Finally, I can change the status from 'In-progress' to 'Complete'! **

**I just think that you all should know that this story was never going to be posted. Back in December, I just wanted to write a scene or two to see what a HP/Wicked crossover would look like, but I ended up posting it after writing said scenes. Since then, it's expanded into the story you see today.**

**Now…here's a lot of notes concerning thank you's and the sequel that many of you have been asking about. So…read on. **

There are several people that I want to give a special thank you to, but first, _**a huge thank you to all my reviewers**_. If it weren't for all of you, I would never have been able to finish this story- the first story I've ever finished.

**CardboardCreative: **Thank you for your 'destruction' of my chapters. It made it all _so_ much better. Whenever I finish sending you my emails with the chapters, I am always excited to read your emails/chapters back. I'm so thankful that you're helping me with the sequel as well.

**Mara:** Thank you for writing scenes for me, especially fluff scenes, which I can never write. Thanks for beta-ing for me as well- the first twenty chapters, I mean. I can always count on you for someone to talk so at school if I need some inspiration.

**MidnightPopcorn:** Thanks for helping me with chapter titles. Even if I didn't end up using all of them, they were very much appreciated. And thanks for the…amusing emails involving threats of murder if I didn't update.

**GothPhantom:** You probably don't know this, but our IM chats really inspire me in my writing. Thanks for putting up with me and my crazy IM schedule. (Actually, technically, there _is_ no schedule.)

**The first order of business about the sequel is that **_**the sequel may take from two weeks to a month for me to put up**_I have the first few chapters planned out, but I still have much to talk to Cardboard about. Besides, I want to at least get a few more chapters into SIS first, not to mention do some one-shots that I've promised to do.

Here is the official summary of War of the Worlds: Tainted Blood, thanks to…Cardboard:

With Voldemort's defeat, Ron takes up shop in Oz to terrorize Glinda and hopefully get revenge on Elphaba as well. Elphaba wants to help, but can only do so by revealing to her friends at Hogwarts the reason she and Fiyero left Oz in the first place. Enemies old and new clash, and in the process, Elphaba learns that there truly is no place like home.

**-Wolfie**


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